ABSTRACT
Obesity is an important and growing problem. The prevalence of obesity has increased from 27.5 to 30.5% of the adult American population over a period of a few years. Because it is a stigmatized problem that causes great distress, a large market exists for agents that can help combat the problem. These range from diet foods and diet beverages to medical and surgical techniques. This chapter deals with some of the older drugs that have been used to treat obesity. The currently approved drugs for long-term use, orlistat and sibutramine, will be discussed in other chapters.
