Pharmacotherapy of obesity: emerging drugs and targets

Background: Obesity and its associated morbidities are the effects of imbalance between energy intake and expenditure. Present drugs either regulate food intake by acting on neural circuits or reduce nutrient absorption from gut. These approaches have shown moderate success, with several safety concerns, leaving an unmet need for effective and safe therapy for obesity. Objective: To provide a brief background on obesity, summarize approved drugs and give an overview of emerging therapeutic targets, their potential benefits and disadvantages. Methods: A review based on information available from medical literature. Conclusions: Potential anti-obesity targets investigated can be classified into five broad categories: i) decreasing appetite through central action; ii) increasing metabolic rate or affecting metabolism through peripheral action; iii) modulating gut peptide receptors; iv) modulating targets to affect overall cardiometabolic parameters; and v) combination therapies directed against several targets.