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Obesity market overview

Nature Reviews Drug Discovery volume 1, pages 257–258 (2002)Cite this article

Over the past three decades, the prevalence of obesity has risen to reach epidemic proportions in the United States and Europe. Despite public health efforts, no marked shift towards healthier lifestyles is likely over the next ten years; rather, the health problems of obese and overweight people will increase. The number of obese adults in the seven major markets (United States, France, Germany, Italy, Spain, United Kingdom and Japan) is expected to grow from 95 million in 2000 to 139 million in 2010 (see below). Less than 25% of potential patients are formally diagnosed as obese, and less than 20% of those who are diagnosed are treated with pharmacological therapies.

Whereas sibutramine has a systemic action, increasing the activity of the sympathetic nervous system, orlistat has a peripheral mechanism of action, which is welcome because it alleviates worries about systemic effects. However, orlistat provokes uncomfortable gastrointestinal side effects. Sales of orlistat have been rising in the United States during the past few years, but have begun to decrease in many European countries, in part because of the further European launches of sibutramine.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Christine Farrigan is an analyst and Kevin Pang is a Vice President at Decision Resources, Inc., 260 Charles Street, Waltham, 02453, Massachusetts, USA

    Christine Farrigan & Kevin Pang

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  1. Christine Farrigan
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  2. Kevin Pang
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Corresponding author

Correspondence to Kevin Pang.

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DATABASES

LocusLink

β3-adrenoceptor

cannabinoid receptor 1

cholecystokinin A

CNTF

CNTF receptor

leptin

melanin-concentrating-hormone receptor

melanocortin-4 receptor

neuropeptide Y

Medscape DrugInfo

orlistat

sibutramine

Topamax

Wellbutrin

Zyban

ONLINE ONLY

Amgen

AstraZeneca

Eisai

Eli Lilly

GlaxoSmithKline

Johnson & Johnson

Phytopharm

Regeneron

Roche

Sanofi-Synthelabo

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Farrigan, C., Pang, K. Obesity market overview. Nat Rev Drug Discov 1, 257–258 (2002). https://doi.org/10.1038/nrd781

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