Abstract

The standard of care for obesity has been lifestyle modifications, dietary changes and the use of some anti-obesity medications, however, given the increased rate of growth of obesity in not only the United States but globally, new drug therapies are needed. This paper aims to summarize and compare the current safety and efficacy evidence of new United States Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approved weight loss drugs and to discuss the availability, cost-effectiveness, and use of these drugs in combating the obesity epidemic.

Web of Science and PubMed searches of obesity revealed primary sources and review articles on the topic of obesity and weight management. The Web of Science database was queried with keywords such as “obesity,” “weight management,” “Liraglutide,” “Semaglutide” and “Tirzepatide” and the results were narrowed by indicating 2020 - present. Other articles were gathered using referenced articles from chosen review articles, and from UpToDate, inc. referenced sources.

Multiple review articles, randomized clinical trials, cohorts and the FDA drug databases were used to gather safety and efficacy data regarding these novel anti-obesity medications as well as supporting data towards the benefits of the addition of these anti-obesity medications with lifestyle and dietary modifications.

There are several new drugs when it comes to novel anti-obesity medications, with several showing great promise in phase III clinical trials. All these novel anti-obesity medications have shown to be safe and effective in significant weight loss in clinical trials. These novel anti-obesity medications are still lacking availability and are not cost-effective in the United States, making the widespread use of these drugs currently unrealistic.

Publication Date

1-1-2024

Document Type

Master's Project

Student Type

Graduate

Degree Name

Physician Assistant (MS)

Department, Program, or Center

Physician Assistant

College

College of Health Sciences and Technology

Advisor

Heidi Miller

Campus

RIT – Main Campus

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