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The incidence of obesity and type II diabetes is increasing at an alarming rate. This is especially true in the United States and the countries of the Western world. In the United States, one-third of adults and children are obese; 16 million people have type II diabetes. Obesity and diabetes- associated diseases, such as hypertension, heart disease, kidney disease, cancer and arthritis will inevitably follow - creating a major public health problem.
Worldwide, an estimated $30 billion to $50 billion is spent annually on weight loss therapies that produce very little in the way of lasting benefits. In the United States, about $4 billion is spent on prescription drugs. In excess of $2 billion is spent in the United States on small molecule prescription drugs for type II diabetes.
An effective long-term appetite suppressant with very few or no untoward side effects would meet an urgent need. Significant sustained weight loss would ameliorate the metabolic abnormalities of type II diabetes and reduce the risk of other debilitating diseases such as hypertension, heart disease and cancer.
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