Regresar

Pharmacologic treatment of obesity: Present, past and future

Abstract:

Obesity is a chronic, stigmatized and costly disease that is rarely curable and is increasing in prevalence in most of the world. At this time, available treatments, including drugs, are palliative and are effective only while the treatment is being actively used; when effective drugs or other treatments are discontinued, weight gain is an inevitable consequence. Any effective drug will be widely used for its cosmetic as well as medical benefits, as obesity is a socially stigmatized problem. Thus, any drug that is approved should meet high standards for safety. Obesity prevention and management should be given as much priority and skill by all professionals as it would be given to any other common chronic disease with such serious consequences. Several pharmacological approaches have been proposed to promote weight loss and/or minimize weight regain and the need for and logic of anti-obesity drug treatment has been recognized. While the pharmacological market of anti-obesity drugs remained almost unchanged for several decades, the last years has been characterized by three major events: first, the withdrawal, because of reported serious side effects, of two drugs widely used in Europe and in the US (fenfluramine and dexfenfluramine); second, the widely clinical use of two drugs sibutramine and orlistat and finally the development of new drugs like enndocanabinoid system antagonist. © 2007 Sociedad Venezolana de Farmacológia y Farmacológia Clínica y Terapéutica.