Pharmacological treatment of obesity.

Obesity results when the ingestion of energy exceeds its utilization, leading to an excessive expansion of the adipose tissue mass. Current pharmacological therapy for the obese patient focuses primarily on reducing energy intake. Anorectic agents reduce food consumption by modifying central systems in the brain which are involved in appetite regulation. These agents are reviewed in terms of mechanism of action, and clinical safety and efficacy in suppressing appetite and promoting weight loss. Newer anorectic agents which are being evaluated currently in clinical and animal studies are described. Clinical assessments of therapeutic regimens utilizing the thyroid hormones and human chorionic gonadotropin are evaluated. Finally, an overview of novel pharmacological approaches to the treatment of obesity is presented.