Nutrition Bytes

Obesity is a major health problem in the United States affecting one in every three individuals. As a result, a number of diets, regimens, herbs and drugs have been introduced over the past number of years to combat obesity. However, none have been as potent as the combination drug therapy commonly known as "fen-phen". Fen-phen is a combination of fenfluramine or dexfenfluramine and phentermine, which have all individually been approved by the FDA as appetite suppressants. In 1992, a study by Weintraub showed that fen-phen may be successful in the long-term management of obesity. This study resulted in an upheaval in both the medical community and the media, which led to 18 million prescriptions being written for fen-phen by 1996. Weintraub s study, however, failed to adequately assess the long-term side effects associated with fen-phen therapy in patients. In August of 1997, a study by Connolly et. Al. resulted in another upheaval because it associated fen-phen therapy with valvular heart disease, especially in women. As a result of this study, further reports of valvulopathy began to pour into the FDA, and by September of 1997 manufacturers and the FDA announced the withdrawal of fen-phen from the market. Presently, the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services recommends that all individuals exposed to fen-phen therapy for any period of time to be seen by their physicians for a complete cardiovascular assessment. These sequences of events should, thus, serve as a lesson to the entire health-care community to analyze treatments comprehensively and not just prescribe the "quick fix" without adequate corroborative evidence.