ently under investigation for the treatment of obesity and related metabolic risk factors, as well as smoking cessation. Rimonabant selectively targets and blocks the CB1 receptors located in central and peripheral areas of the body (such as adipocytes or fat cells), associated with lipid and glucose metabolism, and normalizes the over-activation associated with exaggerated food intake and/or smoking. This action results in weight loss, improvement of cardiovascular/ metabolic risk factors in overweight/obese patients and reduces tobacco dependence without post cessation weight gain in people who smoke.

ABOUT RIO TRIALS (RIMONABANT IN OBESITY)
RIO-Lipids is the first of four Phase III studies comprising the RIO Program examining the effectiveness and safety of rimonabant in achieving weight loss and improving metabolic risk factors in 6,600 obese patients world-wide. Within the RIO clinical trial program, rimonabant is being investigated in specific groups of patients at high risk for cardiovascular disease in the RIO-Diabetes and RIO-Lipids studies.

RIO-North America, RIO-Europe and RIO-Diabetes are all ongoing. The findings of these studies are expected to be announced over the next twelve months.

Rimonabant is also under investigation as an aid to smoking cessation. Three active Phase III clinical trials are underway within the framework of the STRATUS (STudies with Rimonabant And Tobacco USe) clinical trial program. The results of the first of these trials, STRATUS-US, were also presented today at the American College of Cardiology. The study showed that rimonabant 20mg helped smokers who had previously attempted to quit, enabled them to achieve abstinence without post cessation weight gain at double the rate obtained in patients treated with placebo.

ABOUT LAVAL UNIVERSITY

Located in the heart of Quebec's historic capital city, University Laval is one of Canada's leading universities. Among the to
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Contact: Glenn Lehrman
glenn.lehrman@ketchum.com
917-533-5998
Ketchum
9-Mar-2004

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