ABSTRACT
The rapid increase in the prevalence of overweight and obesity in the US represents a major health problem. Obesity is a worldwide epidemic, and after tobacco use, obesity is the second-leading preventable cause of death in the US Obesity has been associated with three conditions that are characterized by resistance to insulin-mediated glucose disposal: coronary heart disease, type 2 diabetes, and hypertension. Lifestyle change remain the first-line therapy for many common disorders, including diabetes, obesity, hypertension, and hyperlipidemia. The pharmacological treatment of obesity receives substantial attention from research and development. Several new drugs show promise for future treatment of obesity. Axokine, a genetically engineered recombinant human variant ciliary neurotrophic factor that signals through leptinlike pathways in the hypothalamus, has been shown to bypass leptin resistance. The pharmacological treatment of obesity continues to receive substantial attention from the pharmaceutical industry, and newer drugs may be marketed in the near future.
