exenatide and sibutramine

Weight gain, during and after the menopause is common. Contributing factors include ethnicity, reduced physical activity, reduced lean mass, reduced resting metabolic rate and treatment with certain drugs, e.g. steroids, insulin, glitazones. Excess body weight increases the risk of medical conditions including type 2 diabetes, hypertension, osteoarthritis, certain cancers and is associated with increased mortality. This review examines pharmacological approaches to promote weight loss. Pharmacological therapy should be considered as an adjunct to diet and lifestyle changes. The licensed drugs orlistat, sibutramine and rimonabant are discussed. Obesity increases the risk of type 2 diabetes. Thus, the effects of metformin and exenatide are examined.

Topics: Anti-Obesity Agents; Bariatric Surgery; Cyclobutanes; Diabetes Mellitus, Type 2; Exenatide; Female; Humans; Hypoglycemic Agents; Lactones; Menopause; Metformin; Obesity; Orlistat; Peptides; Piperidines; Pyrazoles; Rimonabant; Risk Factors; Venoms

Obesity is a chronic metabolic disorder that affects one third of American adults. Modest weight losses of just 5% to 10% of body weight, which are achievable with lifestyle modification and pharmacotherapy, can lead to remarkable improvements in many obesity-associated co-morbidities, including dyslipidemia, hypertension, and type 2 diabetes. In this review, the indications for pharmacotherapy and the goals of treatment are discussed, and current and future pharmacologic approaches to the treatment of obesity are examined. Current pharmacologic therapies for obesity are limited, but recent advances in our understanding of the complex and overlapping endocrine pathways that regulate body weight have led to new opportunities for antiobesity drug development. Important drug targets that are highlighted in this review include adipocyte-derived hormones, hypothalamic neuropeptides, and gastrointestinal hormones.

Topics: Amyloid; Anti-Obesity Agents; Appetite Depressants; Body Weight; Chronic Disease; Comorbidity; Cyclobutanes; Exenatide; Gastrointestinal Hormones; Humans; Islet Amyloid Polypeptide; Lactones; Leptin; Metformin; Obesity; Orlistat; Peptides; Piperidines; Pyrazoles; Randomized Controlled Trials as Topic; Rimonabant; Venoms