New diabetes drug has a double whammy and is a potential blockbuster

There are, according to the latest statistics, more than 18 million Americans with diabetes, and each year over a million new cases are diagnosed.

Treatment, work loss and disability costs the U.S. economy $132 billion each year and many experts feel that diabetes will be the next major health crisis.

Now a new drug from Sanofi-Aventis, which is a weight loss pill as well as a diabetes treatment, could be effective in treating millions of Americans. The drug is yet to be approved by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA).

Dr. Andre Scheen, medical professor and head of the diabetes division at the Université de Liège in Belgium, says the drug, Acomplia, had demonstrated multiple uses in treating and preventing type 2 diabetes, by helping weight loss, reducing blood sugar levels and trimming fat.

Separate studies have also shown the drug may be effective at helping smokers quit the habit.

Scheen says although he was the principal investigator in the study he is otherwise "independent" of Sanofi-Aventis.

Scheen was speaking at the American Diabetes Association annual conference in San Diego.

Because they have difficulty producing their own insulin, which converts blood sugar into energy, diabetics often suffer high blood pressure.

According to Scheen, Sanofi-Aventis's drug not only lowered blood sugar in late-stage clinical tests, but also reduced two of the leading risks to diabetics, obesity and fat cells.

Diabetics often suffer from obesity, hence the term "diabesity" and it could be very beneficial to them to combine weight loss and blood sugar control in one hit.

Acomplia has an effect on the brain by blocking hunger-inducing receptors, and it increases cytokine in fat tissue, a protein that is often lacking in obese people.

When not enough cytokine is present insulin levels are interfered with and developing type 2 diabetes becomes more of a risk.

The company say that Acomplia can help reduce hunger and may also be effective in reducing cravings for cigarettes.

Dr. Douglas Greene, vice president of regulatory development at Sanofi, says the two leading preventable causes of mortality are cigarette smoking and abdominal obesity and the new drug hits both.

More than 90 percent of the 18.2 million diabetics in America have type 2 diabetes, which usually develops among aging, overweight adults.

Acomplia is in the last stages of testing and a new drug application was recently filed with the FDA.

According to an ADA report the most common side effects of the drug are nausea and vomiting, which usually disappear after a few weeks.

Many analysts consider Acomplia to be a potential blockbuster.

Worldwide diabetes drug sales are estimated to be around $12 billion each year.