A new era in gut hormone-based pharmacotherapy for people with obesity

Abstract

Obesity, excess adipose tissue accumulation that may impair health, is a major global healthcare challenge that increases the risk of several life-limiting diseases, reduces quality of life and leads to premature mortality. Weight loss improves or leads to the resolution of obesity-related diseases. Lifestyle interventions are the cornerstone for all weight management programmes and lead to health benefits. However, for the majority of people with severe obesity, lifestyle interventions and currently available anti-obesity medications lead to insufficient weight loss to improve their health. For these patients the only effective treatment option is bariatric surgery, which whilst highly effective, is difficult to access and not suitable for everyone, leaving a ‘treatment gap’ between lifestyle interventions and bariatric surgery. Unfortunately, the history of development of drugs to treat obesity has been marred by poor efficacy and safety issues. This is now set to change as a result of scientific advancements, which have increased the understanding of the role that gut hormones play in regulating energy and glucose homoeostasis. This has led to the development of effective, safe drugs based on gut hormones that target the body's own appetite regulating systems that herald a new era of treatments for people living with obesity.