![Sample our Bioscience journals, sign in here to start your access, Latest two full volumes FREE to you for 14 days]({"type":"image" , "src" : "/sda/5925/TOC-Subject-Sample-2021-Bioscience.jpg"})
Abstract
Obesity is a common and morbid disease, but its treatment remains far from ideal. Many doctors, regulatory agencies, media outlets and patients consider lifestyle modification as the only possible intervention. Pharmacological agents, although with limitations, are useful weapons but are highly stigmatized. Some reasons for this stigma are discussed in this editorial and include: the failure of short-term medication use to achieve long-term results (due to the chronic and recurrent condition of obesity); common perception of obesity as a lifestyle choice; difficulty to treat obesity in the primary care setting; less than desired weight-loss results with medications; misuse of medications for cosmetic reasons; and unfavorable history of other anti-obesity drugs that were withdrawn in previous decades.
Declaration of interest
A Halpern participated in advisory boards for Novo Nordisk for their product liraglutide. The authors have no other relevant affiliations or financial involvement with any organization or entity with a financial interest in or financial conflict with the subject matter or materials discussed in the manuscript. This includes employment, consultancies, honoraria, stock ownership or options, expert testimony, grants or patents received or pending, or royalties.