Current and upcoming methods of pharmacotherapy of obesity

Abstract

Introduction and purpose: Obesity remains an urgent problem, both worldwide and in Poland. Approximately 25% of people in Poland are obese. Therefore, anti-obesity drugs are gaining clinical importance. The aim of this work is to describe new methods of pharmacotherapy of obesity and to give short description of the most promising research being currently conducted in the topic. Description of the state of knowledge There are four drugs currently approved for the treatment of obesity in Poland. One of them, semaglutide is not practically available yet. While flozins probably will not be used in the therapy of obesity in patients without diabetes, there are some reseach showing their usefulness in combination with GLP-1 analogs. Tirzepatide, glucose-dependent insulinotropic peptide receptor agonist, has been recently approved in the EU and seems to be an effective anti-obesity agent. New substances extending its mechanism of action and further increasing effectiveness are during research. FGF21 is a catabolic peptide hormone, showing a beneficial pleiotropic effect. Gene therapy that increases endogenous FGF21 levels is being researched. Pharmacotherapy of obesity in Poland is not financed from the general health insurance, which makes the economical aspect an important one. While inhibitors of lipid absorption and tesofensine are two drugs which had been previously classified as unsuitable for the treatment of obesity, new research show that they may be effective; along with methylphenidate these three drugs may be more accessible in financial terms. Conclusions There are many new and emerging ant-obesity agents, which will be possibly used in Poland. Tirzepatide seems to be the most promising one so far. The usefulness of new agents must be considered in terms of economic availability.

Keywords

• obesity
• anti-obesity drugs
• overweight
• glucagon-like peptide-1
• body weight reduction
• combination obesity pharmacotherapy