http://www.mdpi.com/journal/pharmaceuticals/special_issues/anti-obesity-drugs/ Submission Information All papers should be submitted to pharmaceuticals@mdpi.com. To be published continuously until the deadline and papers will be listed together at the special issue website. Submitted papers should not have been published nor be under consideration for publication elsewhere. All papers are refereed through a peer-review process. A guide for authors is available on the Instructions for Authors page. Pharmaceuticals is a new international, peer-reviewed, quarterly open access journal published by MDPI. Article Processing Charges (APC) for publication in this open access journal are waived for well-prepared manuscripts submitted by 30 June 2010. English correction or formatting fees of 250 CHF (Swiss Francs) will be charged in certain cases for those paper accepted for publication, that require extensive additional formatting and/or English corrections. http://www.mdpi.com/1424-8247/3/12/3494/ The growing worldwide obesity epidemic and obesity-related disorders present a huge unmet medical need for safe and effective anti-obesity medications. The discovery of leptin in 1994 was rapidly succeeded by a wave of related discoveries leading to the elaboration of a hypothalamic melanocortinergic neuronal circuit regulated by leptin and other central and peripheral signaling molecules to control energy homeostasis. The identification of specific neuronal subtypes along with their unique connections and expression products generated a rich target menu for anti-obesity drug discovery programs. Over the course of the last decade, several new chemical entities aimed at these targets have reached various stages or successfully completed the drug discovery/regulatory process only to be dropped or taken off the market. There are now in fact fewer options for anti-obesity drug therapies in late 2010 than were available in 2000. The challenge to discover safe and effective anti-obesity drugs is alive and well. http://www.mdpi.com/1424-8247/3/12/3494/ Wed, 24 Nov 2010 00:00:00 CET Pharmaceuticals 2010-11-24 3 12 Review 3494 3521 1424-8247 Obesity Drug Update: The Lost Decade? 2010-11-24 doi: 10.3390/ph3123494 Fayi Yao Robert George MacKenzie http://www.mdpi.com/1424-8247/3/8/2398/ Obesity is a chronic disease associated with excess morbidity and mortality. Clinical treatment, however, currently offers disappointing results, with very high rates of weight loss failure or weight regain cycles, and only two drugs (orlistat and sibutramine) approved for long-term use. Drugs combinations can be an option for its treatment but, although widely used in clinical practice, very few data are available in literature for its validation. Our review focuses on the rationale for their use, with advantages and disadvantages; on combinations often used, with or without studies; and on new perspectives of combinations being studied mainly by the pharmaceutical industry. http://www.mdpi.com/1424-8247/3/8/2398/ Tue, 27 Jul 2010 00:00:00 CEST Pharmaceuticals 2010-07-27 3 8 Review 2398 2415 1424-8247 Combinations of drugs in the Treatment of Obesity 2010-07-27 doi: 10.3390/ph3082398 Bruno Halpern Eduardo S. L. Oliveira André M. Faria Alfredo Halpern Maria Edna de Melo Cintia Cercato Marcio C. Mancini http://www.mdpi.com/1424-8247/3/1/125/ Available anti-obesity pharmacotherapy options remain very limited and development of more effective drugs has become a priority. The potential strategies to achieve weight loss are to reduce energy intake by stimulating anorexigenic signals or by blocking orexigenic signals, and to increase energy expenditure. This review will focus on approved obesity medications, as well as potential new pharmacologic treatment options. http://www.mdpi.com/1424-8247/3/1/125/ Tue, 12 Jan 2010 00:00:00 CET Pharmaceuticals 2010-01-12 3 1 Review 125 145 1424-8247 Approved and Off-Label Uses of Obesity Medications, and Potential New Pharmacologic Treatment Options 2010-01-12 doi: 10.3390/ph3010125 Mª Luisa Isidro Fernando Cordido