Weight Loss Drug Therapy
Weight Loss Maintenance
There is increasing evidence that body weight is homeostatically regulated
and that in obesity this regulation maintains weight at a high level.
Weight loss activates mechanisms that are designed to return individuals
to their pre-existing weight. This explains the universally poor results
of current strategies to maintain weight loss.
Weight Loss Maintenance - Weight Loss
Drugs
Based on this, life-long weight loss drug therapy may be justified for
those with significant obesity. Currently available drugs include selective
serotonin re-uptake inhibitors (e.g., fluoxetine), noradrenergic re-uptake
inhibitors (e.g., phentermine), a serotonin and noradrenergic re-uptake
inhibitor (sibutramine) and an intestinal lipase inhibitor (orlistat).
Weight Loss Drug Therapy - Research
An active research program is underway to develop new agents based on
the rapidly expanding knowledge of the complex mechanisms regulating body
weight. Leptin, a hormone produced by adipocytes that inhibits food intake,
has undergone clinical trials and analogues are currently being developed.
Other agents include amylin, melanocortin-4 receptor agonists, neuropeptide
Y antagonists, 3 adrenergic agonists and glucagon-like peptide-1 agonists.
As some redundancy exists in the central regulatory system controlling
body weight, some agents might need to be used in combination to be effective.
Source: 2000 Ashley Publishing
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