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It is ''absolutely essential'' to develop drugs to help people keep the weight off, he said. ''We have to counter these hormonal changes that occur.''
Margaret Morris, a professor of pharmacology at the University of NSW, said obesity-related diseases cost Australia billions of dollars every year.
''There is a moral imperative here,'' Professor Morris said. ''Developing safe and effective drug therapies that can be used in conjunction with healthy Diet and lifestyle interventions may be essential if we are to really make inroads into the problem.''
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