Efficacy of Rimonabant and Other Cannabinoid CB1 Receptor Antagonists in Reducing Food Intake and Body Weight: Preclinical and Clinical Data

The present paper focuses on the different lines of evidence indicating that cannabinoid CB₁ receptor antagonists, including the prototype rimonabant, reduce food intake and body weight in laboratory animals. Recent clinical surveys demonstrated that rimonabant significantly reduced body weight also in overweight/obese humans. Treatment with rimonabant was associated with a beneficial effect on different metabolic parameters and cardiovascular risk factors linked to overweight. The data reviewed in this paper suggest that cannabinoid CB₁ receptor antagonists may constitute a novel class of drugs potentially effective in the treatment of obesity-related disorders.