Rimonabant

Excerpt

Obesity and the metabolic syndrome have recently cast a shadow on the steady increase seen in life expectancy in the developed world. Both conditions are associated with a markedly increased risk of developing diabetes mellitus and clinically significant atherosclerosis. Pharmacological treatment of obesity mainly consists of appetite suppressants and stimulants, but none of these therapies significantly improve the associated comorbidities of obesity, such as dyslipidaemia and glucose intolerance. Recently, new insights have been gained into the role of the endogenous cannabinoid system in regulation of human metabolism. It appears that endocannabinoids, through their action on the specific cannabinoid (CB)-1 and CB-2 receptors in the brain and adipose tissue, enhance the central orexigenic drive and increase peripheral lipogenesis. …