In the study where it helped patients lose weight, the drug also raised good cholesterol, or high-density lipoprotein (HDL), by 23%, almost as much as Niaspan, the sustained-release niacin drug made by Kos Pharmaceuticals (nasdaq: KOSP - news - people ) that is the main currently available treatment for raising HDL. Rimonabont also cut triglycerides, another risk factor for heart disease, by 16%.
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