This review covers all five approved obesity drugs and emerging peptide-based therapies including GLP-1 analogs, dual/triple agonists, amylin mimetics, leptin analogs, and ghrelin antagonists.
5 approved drugsavailable for obesity treatment at time of review, with multiple peptide-based candidates in the pipeline
What the researchers found
Emerging peptide-based obesity therapies, particularly GLP-1 analogs and unimolecular dual/triple agonists targeting GLP-1, GIP, and glucagon receptors, show encouraging preclinical and early clinical results for weight loss.
Why it matters
Obesity is a growing global health crisis with limited effective drug options. Understanding the full pipeline of peptide-based therapies helps contextualize the rapid advances in this field and the potential for transformative new treatments.
The numbers in context
GLP-1 agonists produced clinically meaningful weight loss; weight regain common upon discontinuation.
How the study worked
Narrative review of published literature on approved obesity pharmacotherapies and emerging drug mechanisms, including preclinical and early clinical trial data.
Who was studied
Adults with obesity across multiple clinical trials
What this study cannot tell us
Review published in 2020, before the landmark results of semaglutide and tirzepatide for obesity. Some discussed therapies may have since been discontinued or advanced significantly. Narrative review format lacks systematic methodology.
How to read the evidence
Narrative review summarizing evidence across multiple drug classes. Individual therapies discussed range from approved to early preclinical.
When this study was published
Published in 2020, before semaglutide's obesity approval and tirzepatide's emergence. The peptide therapy landscape has advanced dramatically since.
The bigger picture
This 2020 review captures a pivotal moment in obesity pharmacotherapy, just before the explosive growth of GLP-1 agonists like semaglutide and tirzepatide. Many of the 'emerging' therapies discussed have since entered or advanced through clinical trials, validating the peptide-based approach to obesity treatment.
Questions still open
- Which of the emerging dual/triple agonists will prove most effective and tolerable in large-scale trials?
- Can peptide-based obesity drugs maintain weight loss long-term without continued use?
- How will the cost and accessibility of these therapies affect their public health impact?
Common questions
What are dual and triple agonists for obesity?
Why are gut hormones important for obesity treatment?
Read the original research
Drug Therapy in Obesity: A Review of Current and Emerging Treatments.
Diabetes therapy : research, treatment and education of diabetes and related disorders, 11(6), 1199-1216
Citation
Williams, David M; Nawaz, Asif; Evans, Marc. (2020). Drug Therapy in Obesity: A Review of Current and Emerging Treatments.. Diabetes therapy : research, treatment and education of diabetes and related disorders, 11(6), 1199-1216. https://doi.org/10.1007/s13300-020-00816-y