The Food and Drug Administration has approved five new diet drugs in the past three years despite serious side effects like suicidal thoughts, increased heart rate, and cancer risk, according to a Milwaukee Journal Sentinel/MedPage Today investigation. Reporters found manufacturers may have influenced the approval of these drugs, which have not been proven to alleviate major health concerns associated with obesity, like cardiovascular problems.
From the story: “A Milwaukee Journal Sentinel/MedPage Today investigation found diet-drug manufacturers paid at least $9 million to doctors to promote their products and to medical societies that advocate their use since 2013. Those same companies also spent $51 million lobbying Congress and the FDA on a host of issues, including obesity, in the last five years, records show.”
Read the full report by the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel/MedPage Today.