"how the currently approved anti-obesity pharmaceuticals work"

Posted: Tuesday, February 17, 2009

PRESS RELEASE
Publication Date: February 17, 2009

New York, NY -- February 18, 2009. Pharmaceutical products -- drugs -- can be effective components of treatments to counter the current widespread prevalence of overweight and obesity, according to physicians and scientists associated with the American Council on Science and Health (ACSH).

A new publication, Obesity and New Pharmaceutical Approaches explains how the currently approved anti-obesity pharmaceuticals work and provides a window into the research for new and more effective treatments. The paper by science writer Steven Marks was reviewed by experts in the area of obesity and pharmaceuticals.

Obesity, a growing problem worldwide, can seriously impair health and quality of life. Unfortunately, it can be difficult to avoid or reverse. Approved pharmaceutical agents (as opposed to widely advertised "miracle cures") can help consumers adhere to the altered lifestyles often required to fight fat. Obesity and New Pharmaceutical Approaches describes the compounds currently approved for use in the United States (e.g., Meridia, Xenical, Alli) and explains how they work.

Meridia, for example, acts on the central nervous system to reduce appetite, while Xenical and Alli act on the gastrointestinal tract to decrease the amount of fat (and thus calories) the body absorbs from food.

Research on the biological systems that control food intake and body weight is ongoing, with the goal of developing new drugs that help people eat less and better use what they eat. Drugs that stimulate the body to use up calories at a faster rate are in the early stages of development.

"No one realistically expects pharmaceutical agents to magically cause body fat to disappear," states ACSH president Dr. Elizabeth Whelan. "These products can, however, make it easier for people to adhere to a diet and lifestyle that will enable them to prevent weight gain or lose weight, which will help prevent health effects of uncontrolled obesity."

The American Council on Science and Health is a public health, consumer-education consortium of over 300 scientists and physicians, experts who serve on ACSH's scientific advisory panel. ACSH publishes reports on issues pertaining to the environment, nutrition, pharmaceuticals, and tobacco and helps the public deal with the real health risks productively.

Contact:

Dr. Ruth Kava, ACSH Nutrition Director: kavaR[at]acsh.org (212-362-7044)

Dr. Elizabeth Whelan, ACSH President: whelanE[at]acsh.org (212-362-7044)