Volume 1411, Issue 1 p. 106-119
REVIEW

Updates on obesity pharmacotherapy

Amanda Velazquez

Amanda Velazquez

Bariatric Medicine and Internal Medicine, Kaiser Permanente Medical Center, Los Angeles, California

Search for more papers by this author
Caroline M. Apovian

Corresponding Author

Caroline M. Apovian

Section of Endocrinology, Diabetes, Nutrition and Weight Management, Boston Medical Center, Boston University School of Medicine, Boston, Massachusetts

Address for correspondence: Caroline M. Apovian, M.D., Section of Endocrinology, Diabetes, Nutrition and Weight Management, Boston Medical Center, Boston University School of Medicine, 88 East Newton Street, Robinson 4400, Boston, MA 02118. [email protected]Search for more papers by this author
First published: 29 January 2018
Citations: 68

Abstract

Obesity is a chronic, relapsing disease that necessitates a multidisciplinary approach to management. Behavioral changes are the foundation to management, but adjunctive therapy is often warranted, including pharmacologic therapies and/or bariatric surgery. Until recently, treatment options included only short-term therapy (≤12 weeks), and paths beyond that schedule were challenging, as knowledge of the biology of obesity was lacking. With increased recognition of obesity as a chronic, complex medical disease, newer agents have been approved as long-term therapy, and the cornerstone of treatment is chronic behavior and lifestyle change. In the last decade, the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has approved several new weight loss medications for the chronic management of obesity. In this review paper, we provide the latest updates on obesity pharmacotherapy. The main areas we will cover include (1) pharmacological management of obesity, (2) a review of FDA-approved weight loss medications, (3) comanagement of obesity and its metabolic sequelae (type 2 diabetes mellitus, hypertension, and dyslipidemia), and (4) obesity-centric prescribing for mental illness, neurological disorders, and contraceptive planning.