The First Antiobesity Medications to Simulate Human Physiology are Indicated for Long-term Treatment

"The GLP-1 receptor agonists are the first antiobesity medications that are simulating the body's natural physiology."

Obesity management expert and researcher Caroline Apovian, MD, draws a distinction between older antiobesity medications (AOMs), such as bupropion/naltrexone, phentermine/topirimate, and orlistat and those more recently approved including liraglutide and semaglutide 2.4 mg, both glucagon-like peptide-1 receptor agonists (GLP-1 RA).

Far from the mechanisms of action associated with the older medications, which Apovian describes as akin to "crude appetite suppression," the GLP-1 RAs are in effect mimicking the changes in the gut hormone millieu that result from bariatric surgery. Those procedures signficantly alter secretion patterns of pivotal gut hormones and result in sustained weight loss as high as 35%. Apovian elaborates in the conversation above.

Caroline M Apovian, MD, is a professor of medicine a Harvard Medical School and codirector of the Center for Weight Management and Wellness in the division of endocrinology, diabetes, and hypertension at Brigham and Women's Hospital in Boston, MA. Apovian is one of the founding creators of the American Board of Obesity Medicine, the body that provides certification and recognititon for physicains who have specialized knowledge and training in the practice of obesity medicine.