Is the cannabinoid CB1 receptor antagonist rimonabant advancing the treatment of obesity?

Abstract

Orlistat and sibutramine are the most commonly used drugs in the reduction of body weight, but both of these result in only modest weight reduction. In diet-induced obesity of the mouse, the cannabinoid CB1 receptor antagonist rimonabant induced a marked, sustained reduction of body weight and obesity. In the first major clinical trial (Rimonabant in Obesity), patients were put on a hypocaloric diet, which lead to weight loss of 3.6 kg after 1 year. This weight loss was increased to 8.6 kg by treatment with rimonabant 20 mg/day for the year. Discontinuations due to nausea, vomiting, diarrhoea and headache were more common in the rimonabant 20 mg/day group than the placebo group, but occurred in very few patients. Rimonabant is an addition to the available drugs for the treatment of obesity.

Keywords::

• clinical trials
• obesity
• orlistat
• rimonabant
• sibutramine