The Hill News

It’s all-too-rare in Washington, D.C., for healthcare issues to be discussed physician-to-physician.

That’s just what happened during a Congressional hearing on February 1, when I asked the Food and Drug Administration Commissioner, Dr. Margaret Hamburg, about the FDA’s hesitancy to approve anti-obesity medications, in spite of the great and growing need for the full range of treatments for Americans suffering from severe weight problems.

I appreciate that Dr. Hamburg replied that I had raised “a number of important points.” But the rest of her answer â€" and, more importantly, the FDA’s record of reluctance on anti-obesity drugs â€" leave me concerned that the agency may continue to drag its feet while the obesity crisisâ€"and its human and fiscal costsâ€"becomes ever-more serious.

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