The Baltimore Sun, in an editorial commenting on the excitement generated by promising results for the weight-loss drug Acomplia, cautions that "buyers should beware [since] the experts are still not sure what exactly it does."

The commentary, which appeared on November 27th, notes that Acomplia "is the first of a new class of drugs on the long path to FDA approval that block messages from traveling along the body's endocannabinoid system.

Endogenous cannabinoids are chemicals that operate as a transmission system throughout the brain and nervous system.

But, says the Sun, "a big difference between these cannabinoids and other neural messenger networks is their ubiquity -- cannabinoids are scattered through most of the brain, not in specific parts of it as the other systems are. They weave through parts of the brain connected to motor control, emotional responses and "higher-function" thinking, as well as pleasure centers."

While Acomplia may block cravings for food, or tobacco, or alcohol, the Sun asks:

"If blocking the craving to eat too much also means blocking the pleasure one derives from food, is it worth it? What if blocking food cravings also means blocking any pleasure -- or creativity -- or relief from anxiety? What if a drug to treat excessive anxiety also blocks the part of the brain that could have learned calculus?

"More research is needed, as the scientists like to say. This is the edge of a wide new field, filled with potential but also with at least a few caveats," the Sun concludes.