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Despite the availability of evaluated and approved obesity drugs—and even though some patients will have failed to lose weight after non-drug treatment—doctors have been reluctant to prescribe drugs. The reasons for this may include memories of the adverse events with amphetamine, and amphetamine-like drugs, and the serious complications from combining phentermine and fenfluramine. Current drugs recommended for treating obesity have all been evaluated and approved by regulatory standards that apply to all drug treatments. The use of obesity drugs should follow the principles of any other therapeutic area—that is, they may be prescribed after assessment of the potential benefits and risks (both clinical and economic), with appropriately informed patients, and with medical monitoring of the results of treatment. Many people, including doctors, still believe that a short course of drug treatment might “cure …