World J Mens Health.  2021 Apr;39(2):208-221. 10.5534/wjmh.200010.

Anti-Obesity Drugs: Long-Term Efficacy and Safety: An Updated Review

Affiliations
  • 1Department of Family Medicine, Pusan National University School of Medicine, Yangsan, Korea
  • 2Biomedical Research Institute, Pusan National University Hospital, Busan, Korea
  • 3Family Medicine Clinic and Research Institute of Convergence of Biomedical Science and Technology, Pusan National University Yangsan Hospital, Yangsan, Korea
  • 4Department of Medical Education, Pusan National University School of Medicine, Yangsan, Korea

Abstract

As a chronic and relapsing disease, obesity negatiⓇvely impacts the health of men to a greater extent than that of women, with a higher risk of cardiovascular disease. Since lifestyle modifications alone are often challenging and limited for the maintenance of weight reduction, pharmacotherapy should be considered in a timely manner for obese men or overweight patients with weight-related comorbidities. Recent advances in anti-obesity drugs have enabled the potential of achieving clinically significant weight loss. Increasing evidence has shown that behavior-based interventions with one of these medications can result in greater weight loss than that elicited by usual care conditions. Data from most recent meta-analyses showed that the overall placebo-subtracted weight reduction (%) with the use of anti-obesity drugs for at least 12 months ranges from 2.9% to 6.8%; phentermine/topiramate (-6.8%) liraglutide (-5.4%), naltrexone/bupropion (-4.0%), lorcaserin (-3.1%), and orlistat (-2.9%). However, they have a high cost and may cause adverse outcomes depending on the individual. Very recently, on February 13, 2020, the US Food and Drug Administration requested withdrawal of lorcaserin from the market because a safety clinical trial showed an increased occurrence of cancer. Therefore the decision to initiate drug therapy in obese individuals should be made after the benefits and risks are considered. Thereafter, treatment should be tailored to specific patient subpopulations depending on their chronic conditions, comorbidities, and preferences. Herein, we provide an overview of the latest developments in weight loss medications, which may serve as one of the strategies for long-term obesity control.

Keyword

Liraglutide; Lorcaserin; Naltrexone/bupropion; Obesity; Orlistat; Phentermine/topiramate
Full Text Links
  • WJMH
Actions
Cited
CITED
export Copy
Close
Share
  • Twitter
  • Facebook
Similar articles
Copyright © 2024 by Korean Association of Medical Journal Editors. All rights reserved.     E-mail: koreamed@kamje.or.kr