Wednesday, March 09, 2005

SANOFI-AVENTIS' OBESITY DRUG HELPS PATIENTS LOSE WEIGHT; SLIGHT REGAIN NOTED DURING SECOND YEAR, STUDY FINDS

Sanofi-Aventis Group's experimental pharmaceutical obesity drug, Acomplia (rimonabant), helped patients lose three times the weight of those taking placebo, according to a study released Tuesday at the American College of Cardiology Annual Scientific Session, Reuters reported. In the second year of taking the pharmaceutical brand name drug, however, patients did gain back some of the weight.

The study involved 1,507 patients with a body mass index qualifying them as either obese or overweight with another disease.

Approximately 32 percent of the patients who were given Acomplia lost one tenth of their body weight after two years, compared with 11 percent of the patients who were given placebo. After the first year, patients receiving Acomplia lost an average of 18.9 pounds; at two years, the average loss was 15.8 pounds.

"There is a slight weight regain if you analyze the data after two years," said Luc Van Gaal, one of the study's lead investigators. "That is something we saw in the placebo group and have seen in other trials."

Adverse side effects, which included nausea, diarrhea, dizziness and vomiting, caused approximately 20 percent of the Acomplia patients to withdraw from the study. Reuters reported that this rate was higher than the 15 percent withdrawal rate seen in previous studies of the pharmaceutical brand drug. Notably, 13 percent of patients receiving placebo also dropped out of the most recent study.

Sanofi-Aventis plans to file for marketing approval for Acomplia in the second quarter of this year. Analysts predict Acomplia could achieve annual sales of $3 billion or more.

Wednesday, March 02, 2005

SANOFI-AVENTIS 2004 ADJUSTED PRO FORMA EARNINGS BEATS ANALYSTS' FORECASTS

Sanofi-Aventis Group beat analysts' expectations when it posted an 18 percent gain in adjusted pro forma net income for 2004, according to Reuters.

Annual adjusted pro forma net income rose to $6.92 billion, or $5.13 per share, up from $5.87 billion, or $4.34 per share, in 2003.

Analysts polled by Reuters had forecast 2004 earnings per share of approximately $4.87.

Adjusted pro forma net sales increased to $33.51 billion in 2004, up from $32.03 billion in the previous year.

Sanofi-Aventis, formed in April 2004 when Sanofi-Synthelabo bought Aventis SA, said the merger would yield cost savings of $2.11 billion by 2006. Also, the company expects 2005 adjusted earnings per share to grow at the rate achieved in 2004.

Including the merger's material impact and related restructuring charges, Sanofi-Aventis had a consolidated net loss of $4.76 billion in 2004 that included $9.46 billion in acquisition and restructuring costs.

The company's investigational anti-craving pharmaceutical brand name drug, Acomplia (rimonabant), which is designed to help people quit smoking and lose excess weight, could achieve annual sales of $3 billion to $5 billion, according to analysts quoted by Reuters.

Sanofi-Aventis will file for regulatory approval of Acomplia during the second quarter of 2005 and hopes to receive a fast-track designation from the Food and Drug Administration, which would allow the drug to reach the market by early 2006, Reuters reported.

Sanofi-Aventis shares closed at $40.70, up $0.79, or 2 percent, in moderate trading on the New York Stock Exchange.