COMBINED DRUG-TREATMENT OF OBESITY

Pharmacological treatment of obesity has been neglected as a viable th erapeutic option for many years, Recent long term studies with combina tions of obesity drugs gives premise that drugs may play a role in wei ght maintenance, which classically has been the most difficult aspect of treating obesity, Currently available obesity drugs include central ly acting adrenergic agents and serotonin agonists, Drugs still in dev elopment include a lipase inhibitor that pro duces fat malabsorption, a combined adrenergic-serotonergic reuptake inhibitor, various gut-cen tral nervous system peptides, and a number of beta-3 agonists, Any of these obesity drugs given alone produces modest weight loss,and for mo st, weight loss continues for as long as medication is given, The most successful drug regimens to date are combinations of phentermine and fenfluramine or of ephedrine, caffeine, and/or aspirin, The former com bination pro duces reduction in body weight and complications of obesi ty for 2 to almost 4 years in clinical trials to date, More research i s needed to document long term efficacy and particularly the long term safety of these and other combinations.