Rimonabant: new data and emerging experience.

The endogenous cannabinoid system has been identified as playing a central role in the regulation of energy homeostasis, and its overactivity has been associated with obesity. Rimonabant is a selective endocannabinoid CB(1) receptor antagonist that has been shown to be an effective treatment for obesity and cardiometabolic risk factors. Studies comparing 20 mg/d of rimonabant with placebo show a placebo-subtracted weight loss between 6.3 and 6.9 kg at 1 year. In addition to the health benefits already associated with weight loss, rimonabant has shown additional improvements in lipid and glycemic cardiometabolic biomarkers such as low-density lipoprotein cholesterol, triglycerides, C-reactive protein, glucose, and adiponectin. The use of endocannabinoid antagonists such as rimonabant provides a promising therapeutic approach to the treatment of obesity and its associated cardiometabolic risks.