Novel therapies for cardiometabolic risk reduction and implications for clinical practice

The growing prevalence of obesity is associated with a dramatic increase in a number of related risk factors for cardiovascular disease and diabetes, including high triglyceride and fasting glucose levels, reduced high-density lipoprotein cholesterol, and increased blood pressure. For many patients, lifestyle interventions (eg, exercise and a reduced-calorie diet) are insufficient for overcoming obesity, and pharmacotherapy becomes necessary. Unfortunately, the currently available agents are associated with side effects such as gastrointestinal distress and increased blood pressure. A new class of drugs targeting the cannabinoid receptors is poised to join the obesity-management armamentarium, with one agent-rimonabant-demonstrating efficacy in 4 recent phase III multinational trials. Patients randomized to rimonabant 20 mg/d showed significant reductions in weight and significant improvements in lipid profiles and other measures of cardiometabolic risk factors.