Anti-obesity Drugs

Synonyms

Weight-loss therapies; Weight-management pharmacotherapy

Definition

Obesity is characterized by the accumulation of body fat resulting from excess energy intake over energy expenditure for a prolonged period of time. A commonly used assessment to define obesity is the body mass index (BMI), measured as a person’s body weight in kilograms divided by the squared height in meters (kg/m²). Obesity is defined by a BMI of ≥30 kg/m², and overweight is defined by a BMI of 25–29.9 kg/m². Obesity increases the risk for comorbidities such as type 2 diabetes and cardiovascular disease. Treatment with anti-obesity drugs is recommended for obese patients with BMI ≥30 kg/m² or BMI ≥27 kg/m²with existing comorbidities and aims to reduce body weight by ≥5%, an effect that was shown to be beneficial for reducing comorbidities and high glucose or high triglyceride profiles. The anti-obesity drugs currently approved for long-term weight management act primarily as appetite suppressants on the...