Pharmacological Interventions against Obesity: Current Status and Future Directions

The metabolic syndrome (MS) comprises a cluster of metabolic disturbances including obesity, hyperglycemia, dyslipidemia, and elevated blood pressure that are pathophysiologically highly interlinked and that altogether lead to an increased cardiovascular (CV) risk. While lifestyle interventions represent the basic therapeutic measure to address all components of the MS, they are in most cases not effective enough to reduce the CV risk. Therefore, pharmacological interventions are necessary for many patients. This review will provide an overview on current and potential future pharmacological interventions for obesity, which is the main driver of the MS.