Drug Helps Users Lose Weight, Stop Smoking

Drug Helps Users Lose Weight, Stop Smoking

The perfect pill! =)

I heard about this stuff a year or so ago. Nice to see that they are moving it toward the market. (As if there were a chance that they would not. Ha!)

Pill Helps People Quit Smoking, Slim Down

Especially important, Anthenelli said, is that those on the drug gained little or no weight, and a third of the successful quitters actually took off pounds at the same time. Ordinarily, smokers gain six to 10 pounds when they quit.

Some people had minor digestive side effects at first, but they usually went away.

"This is good news. The drug shows promise," said Dr. Sidney Smith, cardiovascular chief at the University of North Carolina. "However, I strongly believe lifestyle changes should be the foundation of what we do. I would not want to see patients turn to a pill as the first approach."

In all, seven large studies with rimonabant are in the works. They involve 6,600 volunteers who want to lose weight and 6,500 who want to quit smoking.