[Pharmacotherapy of obesity]

While the intentional modification of eating habits remains the most important measure for losing weight, pharmacological support, in particular with regard to the long-term outcome, can be helpful. Catacholaminergic substances, such as diethylpropion and phenylpropanolamine are restricted by their side effects to short-term application only, and their use makes little sense. The serotoninergic substance sibutramine, which acts on the central nervous system to curb the appetite or enhance the feeling of saturation, and orlistat, which inhibits the assimilation of fat from the bowel, are approved for longer-term treatment of obesity, and lead to an additional loss of 3-5% of the patient's initial weight after one year of use. Thereafter, however, this benefit decreases. Further substances involving new, possibly combinable, approaches are currently under development.