Rimonabant is a first-in-class cannabinoid type 1 (CB1) receptor blocker discovered and developed by sanofi-Aventis.

In Europe, rimonabant, known as ACOMPLIA® is approved as an adjunct to diet and exercise for the treatment of obese patients (BMI greater than or equal to 30kg/m2), or overweight patients (BMI27kg/m2) with associated risk factors, such as type 2 diabetes or dyslipidaemia.

Rimonabant is currently commercialized in the United Kingdom, Germany, Denmark, Sweden, Finland, Norway, Ireland, Argentina and Austria.

Congratulations for deciding to stop smoking. It's one of the best things you can do for your health. Smoking is a powerful addiction, and this section of the site will help you get ready to stop smoking. You can find out how to Create a Plan to stop smoking that will work for you, and how to inspire yourself to Keep Going, and stay on track, even if you slip.

As nicotine is very addictive, stopping smoking is a process that takes time and often requires several tries. Like most people, you may have started to smoke at an early age, and became addicted to nicotine without even realizing it.

Nicotine is the addictive chemical in tobacco that makes you feel good. It helps you enjoy good experiences, and helps you feel better when you are upset. A lack of nicotine is what drives you to smoke during stressful situations. Feeling like you 'want' or 'need' to smoke is a part of the nicotine addiction.

If you understand the situations that lead you to smoke, you can learn to handle these situations without tobacco. Don't be discouraged if you need to make several attempts at stopping. Each time you try to stop, you learn more about yourself and what you need to change to stay on track. The important thing is that you now want to be free from this very powerful addiction.

The ZYBAN®Net System is here to support you. The ZYBAN®Net booklet that you received with your ZYBAN® prescription contains tips to help you create a plan to stop smoking that will work for you.

Check here to learn how to Create a Plan to stop smoking and Keep Going if you slip.

NEW YORK - Smokers wanting to quit the habit will benefit more from using varenicline (Chantix), than bupropion (Zyban), according to the conclusions of three studies appearing in the Journal of the American Medical Association. Chantix was approved by the FDA on May 11 and is a first prescription drug to help quit the habit. It is an entirely new drug and works differently from the other anti-smoking drugs on the market. Marketed by Pfizer, Chantix stimulates dopamine release and blocks the rewarding effects of smoking. Pizer sponsored two studies to judge the effectiveness of the drug in helping people quit the habit. In one of the studies, 1025 people who smoked at least 10 cigarettes a day were given Chantix for 12 weeks. Of these 44 percent experienced immediate abstinence, while 29.5 percent and 17.7 percent taking Zyban and a placebo were able to do so. In a second study 1,027 smokers were studied with identical results. The final study had 1,900 smokers and was directed at looking for relapse rates.

"There are some important gastrointestinal side effects and, in the current studies, most people given the drug actually did not quit smoking," co-author Dr Robert C Klesges said. In an accompanying editorial in JAMA, the drug is hailed as a promising one. However the editors stress that Chantix is no magic bullet.

"There is no such thing as a magic bullet for any condition, let alone one that involves complex human behavior." But the drug could be the best thing that medical science could come up with for smoking. "There clearly is an addictive component to smoking and the best results are achieved when a medical therapy is combined with a behavioral intervention," Klesges said.