Rimonabant in obesity trials

This review article provides evidence and outlines some patents for the use of rimonabant and potential safety concerns which still prevent its use in the single largest market for drugs of its kind. Abstract Obesity is a growing public health problem that is already reaching epidemic proportions and is increasingly encompassing young children and adolescents.

Publication types Review. Effects of the cannabinoid-1 receptor blocker rimonabant on weight reduction and cardiovascular risk factors in overweight patients: 1-year experience from the RIO-Europe study. Erratum in: Lancet. Eur Heart J. Epub Apr Obesity risk factors. National Library of Medicine U. National Institutes of Health U. Department of Health and Human Services. The safety and scientific validity of this study is the responsibility of the study sponsor and investigators.

Drug: rimonabant SR Phase 3. Study Type :. Interventional Clinical Trial. Actual Enrollment :. Study Start Date :. There is a strong association between obesity and increased risk of cardiovascular disease and diabetes and possibly certain cancers, such as breast and colorectal cancer. The dramatic rise in the incidence of type 2 diabetes is due largely to the increased prevalence of obesity. Increases in body weight lead to changes in blood lipid and cholesterol levels, predisposing to increased risk of atherosclerosis.

Not surprisingly, the growing prevalence of obesity has stimulated the search for drugs to treat this condition. Various therapeutic strategies have been explored, including:. It developed from the knowledge that cannabis smokers often experience extreme hunger pangs, which cannabis smokers refer to as "the munchies". Sanofi-Aventis worked on the premise that if cannabinoids stimulate appetite, blocking cannabinoid receptors in the brain might reduce appetite. To develop suitable drugs against this target, the human cannabinoid receptor was first cloned and then expressed in cells.

Compounds with potential inhibitory activity against this receptor were then screened for inhibitory activity. Rimonabant emerged from this screening process as a potent CB1 receptor antagonist. Preclinical animal studies subsequently showed that it could reduce consumption of fats and sugars, which contribute to weight gain. The promising preclinical findings with Acomplia rimonabant have been confirmed in a series of clinical studies, including pivotal phase III trials involving over 6, obese subjects that were carried out in both the US and Europe.

Rimonabant also had a significant impact on metabolic CVD risk factors, greater than that expected by weight loss alone.

Efficacy and safety in long-term use is important feature of any anti-obesity drug. Some potential anti-obesity medications have proved effective in the first six months of treatment only to lose effectiveness as subjects develop resistance to treatment.