It will make a person uninterested in fattening foods, they have heard from news reports and word of mouth. Weight will just melt away, and fat accumulating around the waist and abdomen will be the first to go. And by the way, those who take it will end up with higher levels of H.D.L., the good cholesterol. If they smoke, they will find it easier to quit. If they are heavy drinkers, they will no longer crave alcohol.
…But many medical researchers say not so fast. While rimonabant may be intriguing, these experts say, the mythology in the making is hardly justified by what is known so far.
There are no published studies from clinical trials to justify any of the claims for what some patients are already calling a miracle drug. The data that the company has presented indicate that rimonabant is about as effective for weight loss in obese people as two other drugs already on the market. Nor are there any clinical tests to indicate how or whether it would work in people who are only moderately overweight, hoping to lose a few pounds after the holidays.” (New York Times )
