Patent ID: 7790671

Claim:
A method of suppressing appetite comprising: implanting a drug infusion pump into a site in a subject; and delivering a stable suspension of an effective dosage of an appetite suppressing agent to a site in a central nervous system of the subject, the appetite suppressing agent comprising a polypeptide having the general formula: (Mp-Lk-V2—Hg—C H 2—C H 3) (t) wherein Mp is an alpha melanocyte-stimulating hormone (α-MSH) peptide, LK is a polypeptide or chemical linkage, V2 is a portion of a C-terminus of an immunoglobulin variable region, Hg is at least a portion of an immunoglobulin variable hinge region, C H 2 is an immunoglobulin heavy chain C H 2 constant region, C H 3 is an immunoglobulin heavy chain C H 3 constant region, and t is an integer of 1 to 10, wherein the appetite suppressing agent binds to a target receptor on a neural cell in the central nervous system and modifies the receptor function to suppress appetite.