Some people may find it necessary to pursue medicinal treatment of obesity. Any strategic medicinal development must recognize that obesity is a chronic, stigmatized and costly disease that is increasing in prevalence. Because obesity can rarely be cured, treatment strategies are effective, only as long as you use them. Furthermore, you may be more successful combining therapies rather than relying solely on one type of weight loss therapy.

For a drug to have significant impact on your body weight, it must ultimately reduce energy intake, increase energy expenditure, or both. Currently approved drugs for long-term treatment of obesity include sibutramine, which inhibits food intake, and orlistat, which blocks fat digestion. However, because obesity can rarely be cured, the treatment strategy or strategies you adopt will only be effective as long as you are using them. Furthermore, you are more likely to be successful if you adopt more than one type of treatment.

A good source of information on diet pills or a medicinal approach to weight loss was recently published in the journal Nature:

Bray GA, Tartaglia LA. "Medicinal strategies in the treatment of obesity." Nature 2000; 404(6778):672-7.