Pharmacotherapy in conjunction with lifestyle for the treatment of obesity complications, is it enough?

Type 2 diabetes and its precursor ‘prediabetes’ are common complications of obesity. While the rates of those diseases are reaching dangerous levels globally, effective non-invasive remission methods of the diseases are still lacking. The CAMELLIA-TIMI 61 in The Lancet shed light on the use of lorcaserin for the prevention and remission of type 2 diabetes for people with overweight and obesity (1). Lorcaserin is an FDA approved selective agonist for 5-hydroxytryptamine 2C serotonin receptors (5-HT2C) for the management of obesity as it reduces the symptoms of obesity (excess hunger and lack of satiety) via actions on the subcortical areas of the brain which regulate appetite (2,3).