Pharmacologic Treatment of Overweight and Obesity in Adults

Obesity pharmacotherapy has evolved significantly over the past 60 years. Today, four anti-obesity medications (AOMs) are approved by the Federal Drug Administration (FDA) for the long-term treatment of obesity. Similar in approach to other chronic diseases, AOMs are indicated in combination with lifestyle modification for the management of overweight and obesity. Current guidelines recommend that individuals who have implemented lifestyle improvements for at least 6 months and have a body mass index (BMI) of ≥ 30 kg/m2 or ≥ 27 kg/m2 with an obesity-related comorbidity are eligible for weight loss medication treatment. The AOMs reviewed in this chapter include the FDA-approved medicines for chronic weight management, FDA-approved medicines for short-term use of weight management, and off-label use of medicines that have demonstrated benefits for weight control.For complete coverage of all related areas of Endocrinology, please visit our on-line FREE web-text, WWW.ENDOTEXT.ORG .