Rimonabant

Excerpt

Rimonabant is the first of an increasing number of emerging drugs that act as selective cannabinoid type 1 (CB-1) receptor blockers. The anecdotes regarding the orexigenic properties of Cannabis sativa have been substantiated by a number of studies that make it possible to include the endocannabinoids in the large family of orexigenic signals. The synthesis of rimonabant in 1994 and the following large spectrum of experiments conducted with this drug, first in animals and later in humans, provided an enormous contribution to the understanding of the multiple mechanisms of action, not solely limited to the CNS, of the endocannabinoids in the regulation of energy balance. The extensive clinical use of rimonabant as a novel approach to tackling obesity and related disorders may shed further light on the mechanisms of action of endocannabinoids in relation to the development and progression of obesity. Moreover, the presumable widespread use of this drug will, at the same time, allow scientists and physicians to acknowledge this fascinating and so far neglected system. …