This Article Free upon publication Full Text Full Text (PDF) Submit a response Alert me when this article is cited Alert me when eLetters are posted Alert me if a correction is posted Citation Map Services Email this article to a friend Similar articles in this journal Alert me to new issues of the journal Download to citation manager Request Permissions Citing Articles Citing Articles via Google Scholar Google Scholar Articles by Taskinen, M.-R. Search for Related Content PubMed Articles by Taskinen, M.-R. Related Collections Related Article

(Arteriosclerosis, Thrombosis, and Vascular Biology. 2009;29:339.)
© 2009 American Heart Association, Inc.

Editorials

ADAGIO-Lipids Gives Promises but Faces the Setbacks

Marja-Riitta Taskinen

From the Department of Medicine, Helsinki University Hospital, Finland.

Correspondence to Marja-Riitta Taskinen, Department of Medicine, Helsinki University Hospital, Box 700, FI-00029 HUS, Finland. E-mail marja-riitta.taskinen@helsinki.fi

An extract of the first 250 words of the full text is provided, because this article has no abstract.

The rapidly increasing global wave of obesity associated with cardiometabolic risk factors portends a daunting increase of cardiovascular disease. Consequently, the search for effective and safe drugs and new therapeutic avenues to fight obesity stands at the frontline because of a market with enormous opportunities. Rimonabant is a selective CB1 endocannabinoid receptor antagonist that was the first one authorized June 2006 by EMEA and marketed in 18 EU countries. The efficacy and safety of rimonabant had been evaluated in the extensive RIO program including more than 6000 overweight or obese subjects who received double-blind treatment with rimonabant 5 or 20 mg/d or placebo together with diet or lifestyle modification for 1 or 2 years.^1–4 The results demonstrated the consistent and clear effects of rimonabant 20 mg/d not only on weight loss and reduced waist circumference but also on several markers of cardiometabolic risk especially on serum triglyceride and HDL cholesterol levels. Recently the efficacy of rimonabant was confirmed in the 2-year study of the RIO-Europe.⁵ The simultaneous improvement of several cardiometabolic risk factors by rimonabant raised enthusiasm and created expectations that have not been materialized. The promises were soon dimmed by concerns about its psychiatric side effects including depression, sleep disturbances, anxiety, and aggression. The FDA Advisory panel rejected the approval of rimonabant as a drug to treat obesity 2007. Growing concerns led EMEA to restrict the drug July 2007 in patients with depression or taking antidepressants. The final blow came October 2008 when EMEA concluded that the benefits of . . . [Full Text of this Article]

Related Article:

Effect of Rimonabant on the High-Triglyceride/ Low–HDL-Cholesterol Dyslipidemia, Intraabdominal Adiposity, and Liver Fat: The ADAGIO-Lipids Trial

Jean-Pierre Després, Robert Ross, Gabor Boka, Natalie Alméras, Isabelle Lemieux for the ADAGIO-Lipids Investigators
Arterioscler Thromb Vasc Biol 2009 29: 416-423. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]