Anti-Obesity Medication (AOM)
The clinical category of drugs FDA-approved for chronic weight management — from orlistat to GLP-1 therapies.
Anti-obesity medication is the formal term clinicians use for drugs approved to treat obesity as a chronic disease, distinguishing them from diabetes drugs used off-label and from supplements with no approval at all. The current roster includes orlistat, phentermine-topiramate (Qsymia), naltrexone-bupropion (Contrave), liraglutide (Saxenda), semaglutide (Wegovy), and tirzepatide (Zepbound).
The category's framing matters: approval "for chronic weight management" acknowledges that obesity is a long-term condition requiring long-term treatment — the same logic as blood-pressure medication — which is why guidelines expect continued therapy rather than short courses, and why stopping an AOM commonly leads to regain. Insurance coverage of AOMs lags that logic, driving much of the self-pay telehealth market.
This glossary entry is general information, not medical advice, and is written to be consistent with FDA prescribing information and primary trial publications as of its last review. Always consult a licensed healthcare provider for personal medical decisions.
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