According to health experts, 29% of men and 32% of women in the UK alone are morbidly obese. In line with official reports from the BBC, these figures are undoubtedly set to rise, with more than 12m adults set to be diagnosed this year.

As a result, and with 2010 in its infancy, analysts for industry are out in full force and have predicted that anti obesity treatments are set to be the next major success story in the pharmaceutical market.

In line with a fresh report, published by GlobalData, the market for obesity treatment drugs, currently valued at $1.4 billion, is set to expand by up to 11.7% over the next 7 years As a result; the market will be worth a whopping $3.1 billion by 2016. The driving force behind the increasing popularity of such medications is an obesity pandemic which is currently gripping much of the Western World. With these figures rising, it is only a matter of time before and more of the obese population begin to look to the pharmaceutical industry for a safe solution that will deliver fast, effective results with minimal side effects.

To date, the United States is the single largest market for weight loss pills and other treatments. Around 68% of the population is either overweight or obese.

Predictions

Experts at the World Health Organisation (WHO) are predicting that by 2015, precisely 2.3 billion adults will be seriously overweight, followed closely by the UK and the rest of Europe. Interestingly, Russia, China is beginning to follow suit, with China’s obesity rates reaching 670 million by 2015.

Despite the growing number of awareness schemes worldwide, more clearly needs to be done in terms of education concerning obesity and it’s dangers.