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RIO (Rimonabant In Obesity and related disorders) is a large phase 3 programme (>6600 patients) evaluating the efficacy and safety of rimonabant (5 or 20 mg/day), a CBI receptor antagonist of endocannabinoid system, in obese or overweight patients with or without comorbidities (RIO-Europe and RIO-North America), with untreated dyslipidaemia (RIO-Lipids) or with type 2 diabetes treated with metformin or sulfonylurea (RIO-Diabetes). Compared to placebo, rimonabant 20 mg/day consistently increases weight loss, reduces waist circumference, increases HDL cholesterol, lowers triglyceride levels, diminishes insulin resistance, and reduces the prevalence of metabolic syndrome. Almost half of the metabolic effects, including adiponectin increase, occur beyond weight loss, suggesting a direct peripheral effect of rimonabant.

As a group, non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) rank first among commonly prescribed drugs for serious adverse reactions. We conducted a cross-sectional survey in which 1072 French general practitioners (GPs) were evaluated for their basic pharmacological knowledge and practice of NSAIDs prescription. Results suggest that GPs have insufficient pharmacological knowledge and provide inadequate management of adverse reaction risk. Well-established risk factors for serious adverse reactions, such as age, are not taken enough into account, and tolerance is not correctly monitored. Drugs allegedly protecting against peptic ulcers are frequently associated but, most of the time, without any relevant justification, such as the patient's risk level or drug's efficacy. Our findings demonstrate a need for greater information among GPs about prescription and tolerance monitoring of NSAIDs.