Biography
Biography: Vivek Lal
Abstract
Obesity, which very recently has been classified as a disease by the WHO, is believed to affect over 2.1 billion people all over the world, as per a study published in the Lancet in 2014. Heredity and genetic typing, diet, physical activity, social and occupational factors play a major role in the course and management of this disorder. Till very recently, pharmacotherapy of obesity has revolved around inhibition of absorption of fats from the GIT (bile acid sequestrants), sterol absorption inhibitors, anorectic agents like amphetamines and fenfluramine, orlistat, leptin, rimonabant, phentermine/topiramate and some recent additions like naltrexone+bupropion as a fixed dose combination. Lorcaserin, a 5-HT agonist, is another recent drug reducing food intake by stimulating the satiety center. However, there are major roadblocks in the holistic control of excessive body weight, like patient compliance, diet control, social factors and adverse effects of drugs. For a disease with such complex etiology and multiple management options, it is imperative that a uniform multi-pronged treatment strategy is outlined. This, again, may be difficult since it mandates involvement of many specialist doctors and a meticulous co-ordination of the treatment strategies for an optimal outcome. This talk will focus initially on the available options, rationale of their use and their drawbacks, so also the putative targets for newer drugs, which may contribute significantly in bringing down the morbidity and mortality from this medical cum social disorder globally. I would be deliberating in detail on the potential new targets for the pharmacotherapy of obesity.