title: Pharmacologic Approaches to Weight Management: Recent Gains and Shortfalls in Combating Obesity.
abstract: Obesity is a growing epidemic in the USA with over one third of adults presently classified as obese. Obesity-related comorbidities include many leading causes of preventable death such as heart disease, stroke, type 2 diabetes, and certain types of cancer. Modest weight loss of 5-10 % of body weight is sufficient to produce clinically relevant improvements in cardiovascular disease risk factors among patients with overweight and obesity. Until recently, there were limited pharmacologic options approved by the Food and Drug Administration to treat obesity. Phentermine/topiramate ER and lorcaserin were approved in 2012, and naltrexone SR/bupropion SR and liraglutide 3.0 mg were approved in 2014. This article reviews recent literature in the field of Obesity Medicine and highlights important findings from clinical trials. Future directions in the pharmacologic management of obesity are presented along with new diabetes medications that promote weight loss and reduce cardiovascular mortality.
authors.affiliation: Comprehensive Weight Control Center, Division of Endocrinology, Diabetes and Metabolism, Weill Cornell Medicine, 1165 York Avenue, New York, NY, 10065, USA. kph2001@med.cornell.edu.
authors.forename: Katherine H
authors.initials: KH
authors.lastname: Saunders
authors.affiliation: Comprehensive Weight Control Center, Division of Endocrinology, Diabetes and Metabolism, Weill Cornell Medicine, 1165 York Avenue, New York, NY, 10065, USA.
authors.forename: Rekha B
authors.initials: RB
authors.lastname: Kumar
authors.affiliation: Comprehensive Weight Control Center, Division of Endocrinology, Diabetes and Metabolism, Weill Cornell Medicine, 1165 York Avenue, New York, NY, 10065, USA.
authors.forename: Leon I
authors.initials: LI
authors.lastname: Igel
authors.affiliation: Comprehensive Weight Control Center, Division of Endocrinology, Diabetes and Metabolism, Weill Cornell Medicine, 1165 York Avenue, New York, NY, 10065, USA.
authors.forename: Louis J
authors.initials: LJ
authors.lastname: Aronne
mesh_terms: D019440:Anti-Obesity Agents / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D001835:Body Weight; D015897:Comorbidity; D003924:Diabetes Mellitus, Type 2 / Q000209:etiology; D006801:Humans; D009765:Obesity / Q000150:complications / Q000188:drug therapy* / Q000453:epidemiology; D015431:Weight Loss / Q000187:drug effects
chemical_list: D019440:Anti-Obesity Agents
keywords: Clinical trials; Obesity; Pharmacotherapy; Type 2 diabetes; Weight loss; Weight management