Changes in Body Weight in Severely Obese Patients Treated with the Anorexiant Mazindol

Abstract

(1) Background: The number of severely obese patients worldwide is rapidly increasing. Recently, novel therapeutic approaches, such as bariatric surgery or GLP-1 receptor agonists, have emerged, bringing about a paradigm shift in this field. However, these therapies sometimes face challenges, such as peri-surgical complications or supply shortages. Mazindol, which is an appetite suppressant approved decades ago in Japan, remains a valuable option. In this study, we investigated the effectiveness of mazindol in reducing body weight in 147 patients, and we examined the factors influencing said effectiveness. (2) Methods: The patients were divided into four groups based on the treatment cycles they underwent: 1 cycle, 2 cycles, 3–5 cycles, and over 6 cycles. We compared the changes in body weight before and after the treatment among these four groups. Additionally, we sought to identify the factors correlated to the effectiveness of mazindol. (3) Results: The change in body weight was more pronounced in the group which underwent 3–5 cycles compared to the groups which underwent 1 cycle and 2 cycles; this change was also more pronounced in the group which underwent over 6 cycles compared to those which underwent 1 cycle. Furthermore, we observed a significant correlation between the initial body weight and the extent of body weight change. (4) Conclusions: Mazindol demonstrated effectiveness in reducing the body weight of patients in a cycle-dependent manner.