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Best Practice & Research. Clinical... Aug 2018The treatment of childhood obesity represents a greater challenge for pediatricians. To date, it is multidisciplinary, including behavioral, dietary, pharmacological,... (Review)
Review
The treatment of childhood obesity represents a greater challenge for pediatricians. To date, it is multidisciplinary, including behavioral, dietary, pharmacological, and surgical options. Given the limited efficacy of available treatments, scientific research on finding new solutions is very active. Several drugs comprising Metformin, Glucagon-like peptide- 1 receptor agonists, Naltrexone-bupropion, Phentermine-Topiramate, and Lorcaserin have been studied as pediatric antiobesity agents. Findings from clinical trials showed a modest but significant effect of these drugs on weight loss, but long-term studies are needed to better define their exact role. Bariatric surgery is also promising for extremely obese adolescents. Moreover, a novel approach to treat obesity might be represented by compounds inducing browning of white adipose tissue, a complex process involved in body energy homeostasis, but at present evidence in humans is lacking. We aimed to review the current knowledge regarding the available new options for pediatric obesity treatment.
Topics: Adolescent; Anti-Obesity Agents; Bariatric Surgery; Benzazepines; Child; Diet; Humans; Naltrexone; Pediatric Obesity; Weight Loss
PubMed: 30086873
DOI: 10.1016/j.beem.2018.06.007 -
Journal of Managed Care & Specialty... Oct 2023Primary nonadherence (PNA), when a medication is newly prescribed but not filled, has been identified as a major research gap potentially impacting the optimal...
Primary nonadherence (PNA), when a medication is newly prescribed but not filled, has been identified as a major research gap potentially impacting the optimal treatment of patients with overweight and obesity who are newly prescribed antiobesity medications (AOMs). To assess PNA among patients with newly prescribed AOMs and to examine factors associated with PNA to AOMs. This was a retrospective study that used the Optum Integrated Clinical plus Claims database to identify individuals who had at least 1 prescription order for an AOM the US Food and Drug Administration approved for long-term use. Individuals with prescription orders between January 1, 2012, and February 28, 2019, were identified, and patient demographics, clinical characteristics, medication prescribed, baseline health care utilization, and obesity-related complications were described by PNA status. PNA was defined as no pharmacy claim for the AOM within 60 days of the date of the new prescription order as identified in electronic health record data. A multivariable logistic regression model was used to examine factors associated with PNA. The study sample included a total of 1,563 patients. The mean body mass index was 38.4 kg/m; 10.7% were prescribed liraglutide 3.0 mg, 26.0% were prescribed lorcaserin, 36.3% of patients were prescribed naltrexone-bupropion, 5.4% were prescribed orlistat, and 21.6% were prescribed phentermine-topiramate. Most patients (91.1%) exhibited PNA, with only 8.9% filling their newly prescribed AOM within 60 days. Both the adherent and nonadherent groups were predominately female sex, White, and covered by commercial insurance. The mean age was similar between the 2 groups. Most obesity-related complications were less prevalent in the adherent group, although the Charlson comorbidity index score was similar between the 2 groups. After adjustment for patient demographics and clinical characteristics, there was not a statistically significant association between the specific AOM and PNA ( = 0.299). Patients with depression or living in the Midwest or South regions were at significantly increased risk of PNA. The rate of PNA to AOMs was very high, suggesting barriers in effective medical management of patients with overweight and obesity. Future research is warranted to understand reasons for PNA to AOMs and how to address these barriers. Dr Kan, Dr Bae, Dr Dunn, and Dr Ahmad are employees of Eli Lilly and Company. Ms Buysman and Dr Gronroos are employees of Optum. Dr Swindle was an employee of Optum at the time the study was conducted and is currently employed at Evidera. Dr Bengtson is employed at Boehringer Ingelheim Pharmaceuticals, Inc. (Boehringer Ingelheim has no connection to this study), and during the conduct of this study was employed at Optum.
Topics: Humans; Female; Retrospective Studies; Overweight; Anti-Obesity Agents; Obesity; Delivery of Health Care
PubMed: 37594848
DOI: 10.18553/jmcp.2023.23083 -
Forensic Science International Sep 2022Suicide remains a global public health concern and the increased supply and use of synthetic stimulants globally may have implications for the burden of suicides... (Review)
Review
Suicide remains a global public health concern and the increased supply and use of synthetic stimulants globally may have implications for the burden of suicides attributable to substance use. This systematic review investigated any potential associations of stimulant use detected in post-mortem biological specimens and suicides. We conducted a systematic review and narrative synthesis (CRD42021237966). Medline, EMBASE, TOXLINE, and Scopus databases were searched for terms related to forensic toxicology, post-mortem toxicology, suicide and stimulants. The primary outcome was to estimate the prevalence of stimulant use in suicides. There were 26 studies whichcontributed to prevalence measures; in studies reporting at the individual compound level, suicides involved cocaine (0.1-23%), caffeine (3.2-22%), 3,4-methylenedioxymethamphetamine (0.1-17%), amphetamine (0.2-9.3%), methamphetamine (3.1-7%), and phentermine (0.9-1%). Overall, stimulant use in suicides was over-represented compared to estimates of stimulant use in the general population and has increased over time. Thirteen case reports used to contextualise suicides involving stimulants found no examples of cocaine or methamphetamine mono-intoxication of suicidal intent. This suggests mechanisms other than acute toxicity involved in stimulant-associated suicide. Future research by in-depth psychological autopsies of suicides involving stimulants, in combination with segmental hair analysis to determine the chronicity of stimulant exposure, may contribute to a better understanding of the burden of suicide attributable to stimulant use.
Topics: Amphetamine; Central Nervous System Stimulants; Cocaine; Humans; Methamphetamine; Suicide
PubMed: 35908335
DOI: 10.1016/j.forsciint.2022.111391 -
The Journal of Clinical Endocrinology... Sep 2021Glucagon-like peptide-1 receptor agonists and sodium-glucose cotransporter-2 inhibitors reduce weight and improve insulin sensitivity via different mechanisms. (Randomized Controlled Trial)
Randomized Controlled Trial
CONTEXT
Glucagon-like peptide-1 receptor agonists and sodium-glucose cotransporter-2 inhibitors reduce weight and improve insulin sensitivity via different mechanisms.
OBJECTIVE
The efficacy of once-weekly exenatide (EQW) and dapagliflozin (DAPA) alone and coadministered (EQW/DAPA), DAPA/extended-release (ER) metformin (DAPA/MET), and phentermine topiramate extended release (PHEN/TPM) on metabolic parameters, body composition, and sex hormones were examined in obese women with PCOS.
METHODS
Nondiabetic women (nā =ā 119; aged 18-45 years) with a body mass index (BMI) greater than 30 and less than 45 and polycystic ovary syndrome (National Institutes of Health criteria) were randomly assigned in a single-blinded fashion to EQW (2 mg weekly); DAPA (10 mg daily), EQW/DAPA (2 mg weekly/10 mg daily), DAPA (10 mg)/MET (2000 mg XR daily), or PHEN (7.5 mg)/TPM (46 mg ER daily) treatment for 24 weeks. Study visits at baseline and 24 weeks included weight, blood pressure (BP), waist (WC) measures, and body composition evaluated by dual-energy x-ray absorptiometry (DXA). Oral glucose tolerance tests were conducted to assess glycemia and mean blood glucose (MBG), and compute insulin sensitivity (SI) and secretion (IS) measures. Sex steroids, free androgen index (FAI), and lipid profiles were measured in the fasting sample.
RESULTS
EQW/DAPA and PHEN/TPM resulted in the most loss of weight and total body fat by DXA, and WC. Despite equivalent reductions in BMI and WC with PHEN/TPM, only EQW/DAPA and EQW resulted in significant improvements in MBG, SI, and IS. Reductions in fasting glucose, testosterone, FAI, and BP were seen with all drugs.
CONCLUSION
Dual therapy with EQW/DAPA was superior to either alone, DAPA/MET and PHEN/TPM in terms of clinical and metabolic benefits in this patient population.
Topics: Adolescent; Adult; Benzhydryl Compounds; Blood Glucose; Drug Therapy, Combination; Exenatide; Female; Glucose Tolerance Test; Glucosides; Humans; Hypoglycemic Agents; Metformin; Middle Aged; Obesity; Phentermine; Polycystic Ovary Syndrome; Prospective Studies; Single-Blind Method; Topiramate; Treatment Outcome; Weight Loss; Young Adult
PubMed: 34097062
DOI: 10.1210/clinem/dgab408 -
Metabolism: Clinical and Experimental Nov 2015In the last 30 years, obesity has rapidly increased and obesity-related comorbidities have surged. Once considered to be a problem only in developed nations, obesity has... (Review)
Review
In the last 30 years, obesity has rapidly increased and obesity-related comorbidities have surged. Once considered to be a problem only in developed nations, obesity has become a global epidemic. Consequently, the costs associated with managing overweight and obesity worldwide are astronomical. The objective of this mini-review is to provide an overview of current options available for obesity management, with a focus on anti-obesity pharmacotherapies. The impact of weight loss on improving obesity-related comorbidities and risk factors has been well documented. Although established clinical guidelines suggest comprehensive lifestyle modification to induce weight loss, many patients do not respond to lifestyle interventions and may not qualify for bariatric surgery. For these patients, pharmacotherapy may serve as a therapeutic option. Several anti-obesity pharmacotherapies, such as phentermine, are indicated for short-term use and are not required to demonstrate clinically meaningful weight loss (i.e., ā„5%). For long-term weight management, the FDA has approved 5 agents so far-orlistat, lorcaserin, phentermine/topiramate, naltrexone/bupropion, and liraglutide. These drugs have shown efficacy in enabling patients to achieve clinically meaningful weight loss and improving cardiometabolic parameters. Healthcare practitioners can help alleviate the obesity epidemic by tailoring these pharmacotherapies based on individual needs, comorbidities, and associated drug safety concerns.
Topics: Anti-Obesity Agents; Humans; Obesity
PubMed: 26342499
DOI: 10.1016/j.metabol.2015.08.001 -
Singapore Medical Journal Mar 2023The rising prevalence of obesity in Singapore is a harbinger for a corresponding increase in obesity-related complications such as type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) and... (Review)
Review
The rising prevalence of obesity in Singapore is a harbinger for a corresponding increase in obesity-related complications such as type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) and coronary heart disease. Obesity is a complex disease driven by multiple factors, and hence, treatment cannot follow a 'one-size-fits-all' approach. Lifestyle modifications involving dietary interventions, physical activity and behavioural changes remain the cornerstone of obesity management. However, similar to other chronic diseases such as T2DM and hypertension, lifestyle modifications are often insufficient on their own, hence the importance of other treatment modalities including pharmacotherapy, endoscopic bariatric therapy and metabolic-bariatric surgery. Weight loss medications currently approved in Singapore include phentermine, orlistat, liraglutide and naltrexone-bupropion. In recent years, endoscopic bariatric therapies have evolved as an effective, minimally invasive and durable therapeutic option for obesity. Metabolic-bariatric surgery remains the most effective and durable treatment for patients with severe obesity, with an average weight loss of 25%-30% after one year.
Topics: Humans; Singapore; Diabetes Mellitus, Type 2; Obesity; Obesity, Morbid; Bariatric Surgery
PubMed: 36876623
DOI: 10.4103/singaporemedj.SMJ-2022-216 -
Australian Family Physician 2017Obesity is a serious, chronic, relapsing disease of energy regulation, with strong genetic and early-life environmental determinants. Pharmacotherapy can be a useful...
BACKGROUND
Obesity is a serious, chronic, relapsing disease of energy regulation, with strong genetic and early-life environmental determinants. Pharmacotherapy can be a useful adjunct to lifestyle intervention in effecting and maintaining clinically meaningful weight loss.
OBJECTIVE
The aim of this article is to discuss the role of pharmacotherapy in obesity management. The efficacy, side effects and contraindications of available weight-loss medications are reviewed.
DISCUSSION
Long-term pharmacotherapy options, which can be effective in providing moderate weight loss, are available to treat obesity. Pharma-cotherapy should be considered an adjunct to lifestyle intervention in those with a body mass index (BMI) >30 kg/m30 kg/m2, or in those with a BMI of 27-30 kg/m2 and obesity-related complications. Safety and efficacy should be monitored closely on commencement, and the medication should be discontinued if there are safety or tolerability issues, or if.
Topics: Anti-Obesity Agents; Appetite Depressants; Body Mass Index; Drug Therapy; Drug Therapy, Combination; Fructose; Humans; Incretins; Lactones; Liraglutide; Obesity; Orlistat; Phentermine; Topiramate
PubMed: 28697290
DOI: No ID Found -
Diabetes, Metabolic Syndrome and... 2017The global pandemic of obesity and overweight now affects between 2.8 and 3.5 billion of the world population and shows no signs of abatement. Treatment for what is now... (Review)
Review
The global pandemic of obesity and overweight now affects between 2.8 and 3.5 billion of the world population and shows no signs of abatement. Treatment for what is now recognized as a chronic disease includes pharmacotherapy, considered an essential component of comprehensive therapy. New drug discovery is robust, but the pace of the US Food and Drug Administration approval for obesity drugs has been glacial, and only a handful of approved drugs are available for treating obesity. In the last 20 years, the US Food and Drug Administration has approved 208 drugs for cancer, 118 for cardiovascular diseases, 168 for neurological diseases, and 223 endocrinologic drugs, but only 6 for obesity, 2 of which have been taken off market. Currently, there are only 9 drugs approved by the FDA for obesity treatment. US physicians have turned to off-label drug use in their effort to care for increasing numbers of patients with excess adiposity. Phentermine is the most commonly used drug for treating obesity. Although approved only for short-term use, US physicians have used it successfully for long-term since its initial approval in 1959. This drug, used off-label for long-term, has proven to be safe and effective, far safer than the disease it is used to treat. Phentermine and diethylpropion, an equally safe but somewhat less effective drug, are both generic and therefore inexpensive. These drugs have been maligned inappropriately because their two-dimensional structure diagrams resemble amphetamine and also because of unproven presumptions about their potential adverse effects. In the face of an increasing epidemic, worldwide obese and overweight patients deserve effective treatment that prescribing these drugs could provide, if rehabilitated and used more frequently. US physicians will likely continue to use any drug proven useful off-label for this illness until such time as more effective drugs are approved.
PubMed: 28652791
DOI: 10.2147/DMSO.S95299 -
Current Obesity Reports Mar 2024This review provides an overview of the history, mechanism of action, and expected treatment effects of the anti-obesity medication (AOM), phentermine. It also includes... (Review)
Review
PURPOSE OF REVIEW
This review provides an overview of the history, mechanism of action, and expected treatment effects of the anti-obesity medication (AOM), phentermine. It also includes a summary of recent research and practical guidance for prescribing clinicians.
RECENT FINDINGS
Recent research on phentermine is sparse and consists primarily of observational studies with methodologic limitations. These studies suggest that phentermine use is associated with clinically significant weight loss in adults and that the medication is generally well tolerated. Large-scale observational studies evaluating phentermine's safety have not identified an increased risk of cardiovascular events or elevations in blood pressure. There is no data to support the notion that phentermine is addictive. Although it remains the most commonly prescribed AOM in the USA, phentermine has little rigorous research to support its efficacy and safety in long-term treatment, which creates a dilemma with guideline-recommended chronic use of AOMs. While we await forthcoming conclusive data on this front, clinicians may consider using phentermine long-term in selected patients, if such prescribing is consistent with local regulatory statutes.
Topics: Adult; Humans; Anti-Obesity Agents; Obesity; Phentermine
PubMed: 38172485
DOI: 10.1007/s13679-023-00546-9 -
The International Journal of Eating... Mar 2022Many individuals with eating disorders remain symptomatic after a course of psychotherapy and pharmacotherapy; therefore, the development of innovative treatments is... (Review)
Review
BACKGROUND
Many individuals with eating disorders remain symptomatic after a course of psychotherapy and pharmacotherapy; therefore, the development of innovative treatments is essential.
METHOD
To learn more about the current evidence for treating eating disorders with stimulants, we searched for original articles and reviews published up to April 29, 2021 in PubMed and MEDLINE using the following search terms: eating disorders, anorexia, bulimia, binge eating, stimulants, amphetamine, lisdexamfetamine, methylphenidate, and phentermine.
RESULTS
We propose that stimulant medications represent a novel avenue for future research based on the following: (a) the relationship between eating disorders and attention deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD); (b) a neurobiological rationale; and (c) the current (but limited) evidence for stimulants as treatments for some eating disorders. Despite the possible benefits of such medications, there are also risks to consider such as medication misuse, adverse cardiovascular events, and reduction of appetite and pathological weight loss. With those risks in mind, we propose several directions for future research including: (a) randomized controlled trials to study stimulant treatment in those with bulimia nervosa (with guidance on strategies to mitigate risk); (b) examining stimulant treatment in conjunction with psychotherapy; (c) investigating the impact of stimulants on "loss of control" eating in youth with ADHD; and (d) exploring relevant neurobiological mechanisms. We also propose specific directions for exploring mediators and moderators in future clinical trials.
DISCUSSION
Although this line of investigation may be viewed as controversial by some in the field, we believe that the topic warrants careful consideration for future research.
Topics: Adolescent; Attention Deficit Disorder with Hyperactivity; Binge-Eating Disorder; Bulimia Nervosa; Central Nervous System Stimulants; Humans; Lisdexamfetamine Dimesylate; Randomized Controlled Trials as Topic
PubMed: 34846763
DOI: 10.1002/eat.23650