End of the road for Rimonabant?

From medscape,

Drug Maker Agrees to Suspend Rimonabant Marketing in Europe

from Heartwire — a professional news service of WebMD

Shelley Wood

October 23, 2008 (Zurich, Switzerland) — Rimonbant's rough ride may be nearly over: today, the European Medicines Agency (EMEA) announced that it has recommended suspension of the weight-loss drug, marketed as Acomplia in Europe [1]. According to an EMEA committee, the benefits of the drug "no longer outweigh its risks."

Its manufacturer, Sanofi-Aventis, has responded, agreeing to what it is calling a "temporary suspension" of the drug [2]. cont here

Related article on Medicine Malaysia,

Monday, September 10, 2007
Rimonabant : Weight Loss wonder?

Rimonabant is a CB1 cannabinoid receptor antagonist, some say the next generation anti obesity drug. Observations that heroin causes an increase in appetite led to the discovery of the role that the endocannabinoid system played appetite control and subsequent weight problems.

It first came into prominence in 2004 and recent trials have churned out data proving long term safety and superior efficacy in terms of weight loss, improved cholesterol profile, reduced abdominal circumference and even benefits for Type II diabetics.

Patients in the RIO-Europe trial who were on 20 mg of Rimonabant achieved 15-20 pounds weight loss, 7.5 cm waist reduction, 30% increase in HDL and 9% reduction in triglycerides. RIO-North America displayed similar results.

Indeed a promising addition to the armamentarium in our fight against the flab.

A case of too good to be true?