Abstract

OBESITY AND ITS PHARMACOTHERAPY: AN UPDATE

Amit Gangwal*, Deep Yadav, Nidhi S Nair, Sanjay Jain

ABSTRACT

Obesity is recognized as a social problem, associated with serious health risks and increased mortality. It is defined as excessive accumulation of body fat that may impair health. It has become a worldwide epidemic. WHO has cited obesity as a global epidemic. Close to half of the adult population in OECD countries is overweight (body mass index ≥ 25 Kg/m2). Obesity is known to be related to increased risks of coronary heart diseases, hypertension, non-insulindependent diabetes mellitus and certain type of cancer. Many synthetic drug therapies are available for the treatment of obesity, but they are not devoid of side effects and not recommended for long term therapy plus their long term efficacy is not established satisfactorily, e. g. Orlisat (Xenical®), Sibutramine (Reductil®). Sibutramine and orlistat possess the risk of some side effects like depression, anxiety, gallbladder diseases, liver damage, allergic reaction, gastro intestinal diseases. Phentermine and Topiramate (Qsymia®) combination is also used in management of obesity. These drugs help in reducing 3-4% of the body weight. Plentiful trials have been conducted to find and develop new anti-obesity drugs through herbal sources and conventional options, but still outcome is not encouraging and promising. The major factor contributing to obesity is imbalance between energy intake and expenditure. One most important approach in the treatment of obesity includes the development of nutrient digestion and absorption inhibitors, in an attempt to reduce the energy intake through gastrointestinal mechanisms without altering any central mechanisms. Inhibition of digestive enzymes is one of the most widely studied mechanisms used to determine the potential efficacy of natural products as anti-obesity agents. In this article an attempt has been made to crawl highly relevant information pertaining to current option and ongoing research to manage and treat obesity.

Keywords: Obesity, Sibutramine, Orlisat, Phentermine, Topiramate.