Acomplia is all set to take over the weight loss drug in a multi billion dollar market. Acomplia has the dual advantage as it is said that it can help people both lose weight and quit smoking.

The way Acomplia (Rimonabant) works is by blocking a certain kind of receptor that governs food intake and also tobacco dependency. It has been known that these receptors are the problem but science never knew how to address the affects, until now. The receptors are both in the brain and throughout the body, notably in fat cells.

It was known by doctors that this system of receptors is disrupted by tobacco and by chronic overeating; Acomplia restores the balance in the system, reducing dependence on tobacco and suppressing appetite. Because there are many smokers who are also overweight, Acomplia can have a dual purpose.  

Acomplia was developed by the French pharmaceutical company by Sanofi-Aventis that was formerly known as Sanofi-Synthelabo. The drug Acomplia is a selective CB1 endocannabinoid receptor antagonist used for the treatment of obesity. Acomplia, which has now progressed to phase III development, works by blocking the endogenous cannabinoid binding to neuronal CB1 receptors. The medication works with your brain making it think that the body has enough food. A reason why people gain weight is because the body has difficulty judging when it has had enough. Acomplia will help the body to determine when it has had enough but will also do it sooner.

Receptors activated by endogenous cannabinoid, such as anadamide, act to increase the appetite, which then makes the body demand to be fed. Acomplia is the only endocannabinoid receptor antagonist in clinical development, which offers a unique therapeutic approach to appetite control and therefore weight reduction.

This medication also has potential as a treatment for help for people wishing to stop smoking, because the endocannabinoid system is also involved in the body's response to tobacco dependence. Acomplia may be capable of solving not one but two long term health problems, obesity and smoking addiction.

Obesity is now considered to be the most common nutritional disorder in western industrialized countries. Obesity is defined as a body mass index of greater than 30, which arises from the accumulation of excess fat in the body due to over consumption of fatty foods. Obesity in the US and Europe has reached epidemic levels and it follows that people should always follow a

healthy diet and exercise plan. Data, which has been obtained from the World Health Organization’s MONICA project, show that in some parts of Europe over 70 percent of men aged 55-64 years are clinically obese or overweight, with almost 70 percent of women in this age group.