Sanofi-Aventis, the French company that is developing the promising obesity drug Acomplia (rimonabant), has disclosed that it soon intends to initiate studies aimed at determining whether Acomplia can be used to treat and prevent clogged arteries and heart disease.

Dr. Douglas Greene, Sanofi-Aventis vice president for corporate and regulatory affairs, said the idea of using Acomplia in this way stemmed from the discovery that even patients people who did not lose weight in the obesity trials currently underway saw an increase in their HDL (good) cholesterol and a lowering of their triglycerides.

At a meeting of the North American Association for the Study of Obesity, Greene said Sanofi plans to conduct two studies of the drug in obese smokers with blood-fat abnormalities to see whether Acomplia can slow or prevent the buildup of blockages.

One trial will enroll people getting an angiogram to open a clogged artery. Researchers will choose a smaller artery that is not being treated and measure changes in the amount of blockage over time on the drug.

Greene also said that when Sanofi files for U.S. Food and Drug Administration approval to market Acomplia for fighting obesity and helping smokers kick the habit, the company also may seek labeling saying the drug can be used to prevent metabolic syndrome.

Metabolic syndrome is characterized by a group of risk factors that include excessive fat in and around the abdomen, high triglycerides, low HDL cholesterol, and insulin resistance or glucose intolerance -- all factors that have seemed in the trials to improve for patients taking Acomplia.