Are OTC medications needed for overweight persons?
A new product for the treatment of overweight persons has recently been marketed. This article will explore the question of whether Americans need an OTC medication to help them lose weight. I will argue that the current epidemic of overweight has serious potential consequences and that the current medical model of treatment has limitations and is not the only approach to the problem. I will also argue that overweight people, as a major segment of the population, deserve to have effective OTC preparations that have been approved by the FDA. Although this approval process is more expensive than marketing untested herbal products that do not have FDA approval, the reassurance that the product is safe and effective is worth the extra cost. If a drug is to be available in supermarkets, drug stores, pharmacies, and health-food stores, it must be safe, effective, and reasonably inexpensive. If it satisfies these conditions, it can play an important role in empowering some segments of the ove
