A current vision of the pharmacological treatment for obesity

Identifier:  imarina:9295705

Handle: https://hdl.handle.net/20.500.11797/imarina9295705

Authors:  Marc Callau de la Parte; Alex Figueras Pérez; Marta Romeu Ferran

Abstract:
Background: Obesity is a very prevalent disease worldwide. Prevention, lifestyle modification, nutritional, psychological and pharmacological treatment are strategies to combat this disease. The objective of this review is to analyze the existing evidence on the efficacy of drugs in reducing body weight and other related anthropometric and metabolic parameters. Methods: A search was made in PubMed and ScienceDirect of the last 10 years, selecting clinical trials with drugs in obese adult men and women. Results: Naltrexone-bupropion is the anti-obesity drug association that obtains the best results in reducing anthropometric and metabolic parameters (lipid profile and blood pressure), followed by liraglutide 3.0 mg and orlistato; semaglutide is the hypoglycemic agent that reduces these parameters the most. The improvement in quality of life is not relevant and the adverse effects are very similar between the drugs. Better results are not observed in new or in-study drugs. Conclusions: The drugs indicated for obesity in our country are effective and safe, and semaglutide can also be a good option for obesity treatment. More evidence is needed to include new drugs among those marketed against obesity.