US regulatory authorities announced that an independent Food and Drug Administration (FDA) advisory committee will hear testimony in June regarding whether the controversial cannabinoid receptor antagonist SR 141716A/Rimonabant is safe for human consumption. The agency had previously announced that it would decide by April 26, 2007, whether to grant US market approval for Rimonabant as a weight-loss drug.

Neither the FDA nor the drug's manufacturer, Sanofi-Aventis Pharmaceuticals, gave a reason for the postponement.

Under the FDA's revised timeline, the agency's Endocrinologic and Metabolic Drugs Advisory Committee will hear testimony regarding the drug's safety and efficacy on June 13, 2007. The FDA has previously denied Sanofi-Aventis Pharmaceuticals permission to market the drug in the US.

Rimonabant, marketed under the trade name Acomplia, recently received regulatory approval for sale in Europe as a prescription dietary aid. It is the first cannabinoid antagonist ever to be approved for human consumption.

Rimonabant blocks the natural binding of endogenous cannabinoids (as well as exogenous cannabinoids such as delta-9-THC, the psychoactive component of marijuana) to the neuronal CB1 receptors, causing users to lose their appetites. However, because the endocannabinoid receptor system is intricately involved in the regulation of a broad range of primary biological functions *-- including appetite, body temperature, mood regulation, blood pressure, bone density, reproduction, learning capacity, and motor coordination --* some experts are concerned that the long-term use of Rimonabant or similar drugs may eventually contribute to a host of significant adverse health effects.

In preclinical trials, newborn mice injected with Rimonabant refuse feeding and often die days after birth. Mice genetically bred to lack the CB1 receptor also suffer from numerous health defects such as cognitive decline, hypoalgesia, decreased locomotor activity, and increased mortality compared to healthy controls.

At least one published case study reports that daily use of the drug may have triggered neurological symptoms of multiple sclerosis in a volunteer with no known history of the disease. Mental health side effects, such as depression, are also commonly reported among volunteers administered Rimonabant.

In human trials, daily administration of Rimonabant is associated with lower blood sugar levels and weight loss compared to placebo. Sanofi is seeking to market the drug in the US under the trade name Zimulti.

From: CheapTalk @ Marijuana.Com

I had a CPS case come up on me in which they gave me 24 hours to go take a urine and hair screen. I spent that 24 hours in this forum trying to figure out a way to pass the hair screen. I hadn't smoked in about a year up until 2 months before I had to take the exam. Then I smoked every day up until the day before they came after me. All I did was get in perm in my hair. I even did it myself. I went to the drug store and bought an at home straightener. (These are the same as a perm, they just don't use rollers). After I put the first step in which is the one that changes the cortex, the directions instructed me to rinse it out and then wash my hair. At that step, with the cortex of my hair open... I washed with Aloe Rid. I held my breath for a week and I found out last night that I passed. Thank you, thank you, thank you!

Question:
I am getting a urine & blood test for life insurance and I am not supposed to have any nicotine in my system for the drug test. I have already quit smoking a week ago but i was wondering if i needed to wait another week to take the urine & blood test. By the way i was using chewing tobacco not cigs.

Answer:

Nicotine only stays in your bloodstream for a few days, but nicotine is not what they are checking for in a life insurance test.

They test for cotinine. About 80 percent of nicotine is broken down to cotinine by enzymes in your liver. Cotinine can stay in your bloodstream for 6 to 8 MONTHS!!!!

If you want a clean cotinine test, I would recommend going to a health food store and finding products that will clean out your blood. Don't take the liquid one shot ones, cause they will cause your cholesterol to go through the roof. You need to get the ones that are at least a week taking daily pills, even though they are expensive.

After the life insurance test, cotinine and nicotine will get back into your bloodstream from fat being burned that held the nicotine. So you won't be clean for ever.