Merck yesterday announced that they are abandoning the phase III development program of their CB-1 antagonist taranabant.

The stated reason is the unfavorable psychiatric side effect profile that includes anxiety and depression.

Despite this setback, Merck plans to continue pursuing other antiobesity drugs in their pipeline. This is in contrast to Pfizer, who announced earlier this week that they are stopping all early development work in obesity and cardiovascular disease.

Clearly, developing effective and safe antiobesity drugs continues to be a challenge.

AMS
Phoenix, Arizona

Posted by Arya M. Sharma, MD, at 6:03 AM  
Labels: medication

2 Responses to “Merck Halts Taranabant Program”

1. Current Health News» Blog Archive » - obesity says:
   October 3rd, 2008 at 7:47 am

   [...] Merck Halts Taranabant Program By Arya M. Sharma, MD This is in contrast to Pfizer, who announced earlier this week that they are stopping all early development work in obesity and cardiovascular disease. Clearly, developing effective and safe antiobesity drugs continues to be a challenge … Dr. Sharma’s Obesity Notes - http://www.drsharma.ca [...]

2. Dr. Sharma’s Obesity Notes » Blog Archive » Pfizer Also Halts its CB-1 Program for Obesity says:
   November 7th, 2008 at 6:49 am

   [...] no surprise here. After first Merck stopped the development of its CB-1 antagonist taranabant and earlier this week, Sanofi-Aventis [...]

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