[Drug control of appetite]

Abstract

The control of the appetite by drugs (sensation of hunger, satiation and satiety) is crucial in the management of obesity. Numerous drugs in this domain were forbidden these last years because of serious side effects. New researches allow the development of new substances presenting fewer side effects either by better specificity on receptors (locarserin), or by new mechanism of action (GLP-1, leptin, anti Ghrelin). The appetite is settled by a complex neurohormonal mechanism. To act on some systems at the same time, the development of products "polypill" combining naltroxone-bupropion, phentermine-topiramate or amylin-leptine give encouraging results. However the dominant mechanism of the appetite dysregulation needs to be better understood.