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A drug once viewed as a possible magic bullet against obesity was rejected yesterday by a federal advisory panel because of worries that it causes neurological and psychiatric problems and increases the risk of suicide. Although the drug, rimonabant, is already marketed in 37 countries, it is now unlikely that the Food and Drug Administration will approve its sale in the United States without additional safety data. The advisory panel voted unanimously, 14 to 0, against recommending the drug, saying there was inadequate evidence of its safety. The F.D.A. is not required to follow the advice of such panels, but...

TUESDAY, Feb. 14 (HealthDay News) -- Men and women who stayed on the experimental weight-loss drug rimonabant for two years managed to lose weight and keep it off, a new study finds. And as an added bonus, those using rimonabant also showed improved blood levels of cholesterol and triglycerides, the researchers report. Rimonabant, which will likely be marketed by drug maker Sanofi-Aventis as Accomplia, is currently under review by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration. If approved, it would become the third drug approved for weight loss, after orlistat (Xenical) and sibutramine (Meridia). "These are the longest results to date,"...

ORLANDO, Fla. (Reuters) - Sanofi-Aventis SA's experimental obesity drug helped patients shed three times as much weight as those on a placebo, but patients gained some of that weight back in the second year, according to a study released on Tuesday. The drug, called Acomplia, takes a novel approach by tinkering with the same biological switch in the brain that makes people hungry when they smoke marijuana, possibly by blocking cravings. ...... About 32 percent of the overweight and obese patients taking the drug in the trial lost a tenth of their body weight after two years. Eleven percent of...

To people who have struggled for a lifetime to lose weight, the new drug called rimonabant sounds like a dream come true. 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.

Lose weight and quit smoking - all by popping a single "superpill." That science fiction-like possibility could become a reality soon - thanks to an amazing new experimental drug. A third of the people taking the drug lost at least 10% of their body weight and were able to keep it off for two years. That's longer than for any diet drug on the market, new research showed.

<p>The future of heart disease treatment is coming into focus with a growing emphasis on potent drug cocktails that fight obesity, help smokers quit, ease inflammation and restore a healthy blood-cholesterol balance.</p> <p>The shift may arrive in time for many aging baby boomers, doctors say, with several promising drugs undergoing pivotal tests in humans.</p>