[Anti-obesity drugs : from previous disappointments to new hopes].

Abstract

Both physicians and patients dream of an efficacious and safe pharmacological approach to treat obesity. Unfortunately, most anti-obesity drugs prescribed since the fifties were associated with an unfavourable risk profile that led to numerous withdrawals. Medications issued from pharmaco-chemistry that mainly target brain amines to reduce appetite have been abandoned because of potential cardiovascular and neuropsychiatric toxicities. More recently, biological medications emerged, especially GLP-1 (Glucagon-Like Peptide-1) receptor agonists, well-known to manage type 2 diabetes and now recommended at higher doses for the treatment of obesity (liraglutide, semaglutide). A dual agonist that targets both GLP-1 and GIP (Glucose-dependent Insulinotropic Polypeptide) receptors (tirzepatide) appears to be even more potent as glucose-lowering agent and is currently tested as an anti-obesity agent. Many other pharmacological approaches are currently investigated but they should not mask the importance of life-style measurements.