BMJ  2006;333:794-797 (14 October), doi:10.1136/bmj.333.7572.794

Practice

ABC of obesity

Management: Part II—Drugs

Mike Lean, professor of nutrition

University of Glasgow

Nick Finer, director of the Wellcome Clinical Research Facility

Addenbrooke's Hospital, Cambridge.

The first 150 words of the full text of this article appear below.

Despite the availability of evaluated and approved obesity drugs—and even though some patients will have failed to lose weight after non-drug treatment—doctors have been reluctant to prescribe drugs. The reasons for this may include memories of the adverse events with amphetamine, and amphetamine-like drugs, and the serious complications from combining phentermine and fenfluramine. Current drugs recommended for treating obesity have all been evaluated and approved by regulatory standards that apply to all drug treatments. The use of obesity drugs should follow the principles of any other therapeutic area—that is, they may be prescribed after assessment of the potential benefits and risks (both clinical and economic), with appropriately informed patients, and with medical monitoring of the results of treatment.


Figure Removed (Available Only in the Full Text)
 Obese patients are at increased risk from cardiovascular disease: it is imperative that risk factors are treated early and optimally. Effective treatment to prevent the underlying cause (body fat accumulation) would make . . . [Full text of this article]

 

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  • Flatt, P. R (2007). Effective surgical treatment of obesity may be mediated by ablation of the lipogenic gut hormone gastric inhibitory polypeptide (GIP): evidence and clinical opportunity for development of new obesity-diabetes drugs?. Diabetes and Vascular Disease Research 4: 150-152 [Abstract]  
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