BUDAPEST--24 Apr--PRNewswire-AsiaNet/InfoQuest The weight loss medication Xenical(R) (orlistat 120mg) significantly reduces weight and improves cardiovascular risk factors such as blood pressure, glycaemic control and lipid profile in overweight and obese people with type 2 diabetes and hypertension, according to a study analysis presented at the European Congress on Obesity (ECO), Budapest, Hungary.(1) This analysis strengthens the wealth of data already established for Xenical that demonstrates that not only does it lead to significant weight loss, it also has remarkable benefits in reducing the risk of cardiovascular disease and diabetes, two of the world's most serious health conditions. According to the World Health Organisation (WHO), around 1.6 billion adults worldwide are overweight, and at least 400 million adults are obese.(2) Excess weight is associated with a number of life-threatening healthconsequences, including: -- Cardiovascular disease -- the world's number one cause of death, killing 17 million people each year.(2) Hypertension is a major risk factor for cardiovascular disease.(3) -- Diabetes -- nine of every 10 people with type 2 diabetes are overweight.(4) WHO projects that diabetes deaths will increase by more than 50% worldwide in the next 10 years(5) "We know that the incidence of type 2 diabetes and hypertension rises steeply with increasing body weight," said Professor Iain Broom, Department of Clinical Biochemistry and Metabolic Medicine, Grampian University Hospitals NHS Trust, UK and study lead. "These results support the use of Xenical to achieve substantial weight loss, and to improve cardiovascular health and manage independent risk factors in overweight and obese people." The study analysis involved 2,692 overweight and obese people. Patients with high cardiovascular risk (type 2 diabetes and hypertension), and treated with Xenical vs. placebo demonstrated significant improvements in: -- Blood pressure (SBP: -6.45 mmHg vs. -3.47 mmHg, p