Rational use of short-term anorectic drugs for one-year effective treatment of obesity: An analysis of four studies.

Background: Obesity is a complex disease for which pharmacotherapy is often used. Anti-obesity drugs (AODs) are characterized by inducing a variable inter-subject body weight reduction (BWR), the attainment of a plateau after their maximal effect is achieved, and weight regain after drug discontinuation, which complicate individualized treatment of obesity.

Objective: This exploratory analysis aimed to compare the first-month body weight reduction in kg (1mo-BWRkg) and tolerance development (moT) of four known interventions with low (placebo), intermediate (phentermine or mazindol monotherapy), and high (5 active ingredients fixed-dose combination) efficacy, as predictors of their 6-month body weight reduction efficacy in percent (6mo-BWR%). In addition, a detailed analysis of the 6-to-12-month BWR follow-up in subjects under orlistat or diet and exercise regimens was performed.

Materials and methods: The analysis included 662 adult subjects with obesity. After the construction of average efficacy and weight rebound curves, subjects were grouped into various 1mo-BWRkg, moT, and 6mo-BWR% intervals, or 6-month body weight rebound parameters for further evaluation.

Results: The 6mo-BWR% efficacy level of interventions was confirmed, although a general high intersubject variation was observed. 1mo-BWRkg + moT was found as an acceptable predictor of 6mo-BWR%. Between 50 and 80% of the 6-to-12-month follow-up completers maintained at least 5% BWR%.

Conclusion: Short-term AODs are useful adjuvants for the 1-year rational treatment of obesity. 1mo-BWRkg + moT is an acceptable parameter to predict the 6mo-BWR% efficacy of these interventions.