Summary
Rimonabant has reached the approved stage (maximum clinical phase 4) for at least one indication, so its use in Obesity would be drug repurposing rather than first-in-human development. This does not mean it is approved for Obesity. ClinicalTrials.gov lists 8 registered trials linking Rimonabant to Obesity: 5 have completed; 3 are terminated, withdrawn, suspended or of unknown status. The most advanced is Phase 4 (NCT00525681). The largest enrolment is 2666 participants (NCT00405808). Registration activity spans 2004 to 2007. The literature layer holds 14 publications for this pair: 5 Cochrane reviews, 1 meta-analysis, 3 systematic reviews and 5 clinical trial publications. Publication years run from 2012 to 2025. Because at least one synthesis-level source exists (systematic review, meta-analysis or Cochrane review), this pair has been assessed beyond single studies, although the synthesis may concern a different indication.
The RepurpOS disease-intelligence file for Obesity ranks 368 candidate therapeutics from Open Targets, ChEMBL, DGIdb and PubMed; only a minority carry direct clinical evidence, and this page covers one of those. Spontaneous remission context recorded for the condition: Sustained weight loss of >5% without intervention: ~5-10% at 2 years; weight regain almost universal after behavioural intervention alone (95% return to within 5% of starting weight at 5 years on lifestyle alone).
Evidence table
| Evidence tier | A · Strong |
|---|---|
| Evidence score | 79.0 (trials 29.0, literature 30.0, tier 15, approved bonus 5.0) |
| Registered trials | 8 total: 0 recruiting, 0 active / not yet recruiting, 5 completed, 3 other |
| Linked publications | 14 (5 Cochrane reviews, 5 clinical trial publications, 3 systematic reviews, 1 meta-analysis) |
| Agent type | Drug (Small molecule) |
| Development stage (any indication) | Approved |
| Mechanism / class | inhibitor; inhibitor |
| Data sources | DGIdb |
| Linked via biomarker / target | CNR1 |
How the evidence score is calculated
- Each registered trial scores by status (recruiting / active / enrolling 3, completed 2.5, not yet recruiting 2, unknown 1, terminated / withdrawn / suspended 0.5) plus a phase bonus (phase 3-4 +2, phase 2 +1, phase 1 +0.5). The trial component is capped at 30.
- Each literature item scores by design (Cochrane review 5, meta-analysis 4, systematic review 3, RCT 3, clinical trial publication 2, curated reference 1.5, other PubMed record 1). The literature component is capped at 30.
- The existing evidence tier adds 15 (A / Strong), 10 (B / Moderate), 5 (C / Preliminary) or 0 (D / Anecdotal).
- Agents approved for any indication (max clinical phase 4) add 5, because an approved agent has an established safety profile that lowers the barrier to repurposing trials.
- The score ranks what has been studied, not what works. It does not read effect sizes or directions of effect.
Registered clinical trials
| NCT ID | Title | Status | Phase | Enrolment |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| NCT00525681 | Interaction Between Rimonabant and Cyclosporine and Tacrolimus 2007 | completed | Phase 4 | 18 |
| NCT00325546 | Study of Weight-Reducing Effect and Safety of Rimonabant In Obesity in ASIA (RIO-ASIA) 2006 | completed | Phase 3 | 643 |
| NCT00481975 | Efficacy and Safety of Rimonabant on Weight Loss and Frequency of Binge Episodes in Obese Patients 2004 | completed | Phase 3 | 289 |
| NCT00546325 | REASSURE: The Effect of Rimonabant on HbA1c in Overweight or Obese Patients With Type 2 Diabetes Not Adequately Controlled on 2 Oral Antidiabetic Agents 2007 | completed | Phase 3 | 358 |
| NCT00412698 | European Trial About Effect of RimoNabant on Abdominal Obese Patients With dysLipidemia 2006 | terminated | Phase 3 | 645 |
| NCT00449605 | A Glycemic Control Evaluation of Glimepiride Versus Rimonabant on Top of Metformin in Type 2 Diabetes 2007 | terminated | Phase 3 | 508 |
| NCT00405808 | Rimonabant in Abdominally Obese Patients With Impaired Fasting Blood Glucose 2006 | terminated | Phase 3 | 2,666 |
| NCT00459004 | Japanese Dose-Response Study of Rimonabant in Obese Patients 2004 | completed | Phase 2 | 527 |
Published literature
- Systematic review Impact of CB1 receptor antagonism on skeletal muscle hypertrophy and metabolic health: a systematic review of preclinical studiesde Abreu Júnior NK, Feltrin IF, Pereira DMR et al. · Hormones (Athens, Greece) · 2025 · PMID 39869298
- Systematic review Sex, race, and BMI in clinical trials of medications for obesity over the past three decades: a systematic reviewAlsaqaaby MS, Cooney S, le Roux CW et al. · The lancet. Diabetes & endocrinology · 2024 · PMID 38723646
- Cochrane review Long-term effects of weight-reducing drugs in people with hypertensionSiebenhofer A, Winterholer S, Jeitler K et al. · The Cochrane database of systematic reviews · 2021 · PMID 33454957
- Cochrane review Long-term effects of weight-reducing drugs in people with hypertensionSiebenhofer A, Jeitler K, Horvath K et al. · The Cochrane database of systematic reviews · 2016 · PMID 26934640
- Systematic review Psychotropic treatments in Prader-Willi syndrome: a critical review of published literatureBonnot O, Cohen D, Thuilleaux D et al. · European journal of pediatrics · 2016 · PMID 26584571
- Clinical trial publication The CB1 Neutral Antagonist Tetrahydrocannabivarin Reduces Default Mode Network and Increases Executive Control Network Resting State Functional Connectivity in Healthy VolunteersRzepa E, Tudge L, McCabe C · The international journal of neuropsychopharmacology · 2015 · PMID 26362774
- Clinical trial publication Neural effects of cannabinoid CB1 neutral antagonist tetrahydrocannabivarin on food reward and aversion in healthy volunteersTudge L, Williams C, Cowen PJ et al. · The international journal of neuropsychopharmacology · 2014 · PMID 25542687
- Meta-analysis The effect of antiobesity drugs on waist circumference: a mixed treatment comparisonChilton M, Dunkley A, Carter P et al. · Diabetes, obesity & metabolism · 2014 · PMID 23964810
- Clinical trial publication Efficacy of rimonabant in obese patients with binge eating disorderPataky Z, Gasteyger C, Ziegler O et al. · Experimental and clinical endocrinology & diabetes : official journal, German Society of Endocrinology [and] German Diabetes Association · 2013 · PMID 23147209
- Clinical trial publication CB(1) blockade-induced weight loss over 48 weeks decreases liver fat in proportion to weight loss in humansBergholm R, Sevastianova K, Santos A et al. · International journal of obesity (2005) · 2013 · PMID 22828945
- Cochrane review Long-term effects of weight-reducing drugs in hypertensive patientsSiebenhofer A, Jeitler K, Horvath K et al. · The Cochrane database of systematic reviews · 2013 · PMID 23543553
- Clinical trial publication Rimonabant improves obesity but not the overall cardiovascular risk and quality of life; results from CARDIO-REDUSE (CArdiometabolic Risk reDuctIOn by Rimonabant: the Effectiveness in Daily practice and its USE)Boesten JE, Kaper J, Stoffers HE et al. · Family practice · 2012 · PMID 22389428
- Cochrane review Effect of anti-obesity drug on cardiovascular risk factors: a systematic review and meta-analysis of randomized controlled trialsZhou YH, Ma XQ, Wu C et al. · PloS one · 2012 · PMID 22745703
- Cochrane review What is the clinical effectiveness and cost-effectiveness of using drugs in treating obese patients in primary care? A systematic reviewAra R, Blake L, Gray L et al. · Health technology assessment (Winchester, England) · 2012 · PMID 22340890
Mechanism and notes
Recorded mechanism or class: inhibitor; inhibitor.
OSMF's existing evidence tier for this pair is A (Strong), derived from the strength of the disease association recorded in DGIdb, in this case via the biomarker or target CNR1. The tier describes how well the drug-disease link is documented, not how well the drug works.
Frequently asked questions
Is Rimonabant approved for Obesity?
Rimonabant has reached the approved stage (maximum clinical phase 4) for at least one indication, so its use in Obesity would be drug repurposing rather than first-in-human development. This does not mean it is approved for Obesity. Approval status for the specific indication should always be confirmed with the relevant regulator and prescribing information.
Is Rimonabant in clinical trials for Obesity?
ClinicalTrials.gov lists 8 registered trials linking Rimonabant to Obesity: 5 have completed; 3 are terminated, withdrawn, suspended or of unknown status. The most advanced is Phase 4 (NCT00525681). The largest enrolment is 2666 participants (NCT00405808). Registration activity spans 2004 to 2007.
What does the evidence show for Rimonabant in Obesity?
Rimonabant has both completed registered trials and synthesis-level publications linked to Obesity. That is the strongest profile in this database, but the summaries here do not extract effect sizes, so read the linked reviews for direction and magnitude of benefit. OSMF's existing evidence tier for this pair is A (Strong), derived from the strength of the disease association recorded in DGIdb, in this case via the biomarker or target CNR1. The tier describes how well the drug-disease link is documented, not how well the drug works.
Cite this page
Data: ClinicalTrials.gov, PubMed, Open Targets, ChEMBL, DGIdb and the OSMF therapeutic agent database. Last updated 2026-07-05. Page built 2026-10-07.