Best Practice & Research Clinical Gastroenterology 28 (2014) 665e684 Contents lists available at ScienceDirect Best Practice & Research Clinical Gastroenterology 11 Medical treatment of obesity: The past, the present and the future * George A. Bray, MD, MACP, MACE, Boyd Professor 6400 Perkins Road, Baton Rouge, LA 70808, USA abstract Keywords: Medications for the treatment of obesity began to appear in the Orlistat late 19th and early 20th century. Amphetamine-addiction led to Serotonergic drugs the search for similar drugs without addictive properties. Four Sympathomimetic drugs sympathomimetic drugs currently approved in the US arose from Glucagon-like peptide-1 agonists this search, but may not be approved elsewhere. When norad- Combination therapy renergic drugs were combined with serotonergic drugs, additional weight loss was induced. At present there are three drugs (orlistat, phentermine/topiramate and lorcaserin) approved for long-term use and four sympathomimetic drugs approved by the US FDA for short-term treatment of obesity. Leptin produced in fat cells and glucagon-like peptide-1, a gastrointestinal hormone, provide a new molecular basis for treatment of obesity. New classes of agents acting on the melanocortin system in the brain or mimicking GLP-1 have been tried with variable success. Combi- nation therapy can substantially increase weight loss; a promising approach for the future. © 2014 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved. Introduction ‘A desire to take medicine is, perhaps, the great feature which distinguishes man from other animals.’ Sir William Osler [1] * Tel.: þ1 (225) 763 3176; fax: þ1 (225) 763 3045. E-mail addresses:
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