Rimonabant was granted marketing authorisation in the EU in June 2006. Currently, acomplia (rimonabant) has been launched in 19 countries, including 13 European countries. Up to the end of May 2007, it is estimated that about 240,000 patients have been treated with rimonabant worldwide. Approximately 41,000 patients have been treated with rimonabant in the United Kingdom.

The two-year study of rimonabant showed some side effects including depression, anxiety, and irritability. Researchers reported that those side effects were mostly minor and short-lived.

Rimonabant is effective in assisting some smokers to quit smoking. Sanofi-Aventis is currently conducting studies to determine the possible value of rimonabant in smoking-cessation therapy. The Studies with rimonabant and Tobacco Use (STRATUS) Program involves more than 6,000 subjects. STRATUS is designed to explore two smoking-related therapies: first, to use rimonabant directly to aid in smoking cessation; second, to help prevent weight gain in former smokers. Initial results apparently suggest that rimonabant is effective for both uses.
Tetrahydrocannabinol is known to impair short-term memory.

It was therefore hypothesised that Rimonabant may improve short-term memory. Indeed in animal studies it significantly improved the performance of rats to encode information in the short-term memory.
Acomplia (rimonabant) is also usefull in diabetic blood sugar control.
Based on eight trials now underway, Sanofi Avensis want to submit diet drug Rimonabant Acomplia for worldwide approval as a treatment for type 2 diabetes in 2009, and the European decision to allow inclusion of results from a diabetes studies on the insert suggests more off-label use of the medication for treating diabetes may occur any time soon.