In recent years, policymakers and medical experts have expressed
alarm about the growing problem of childhood obesity in the
United States. While most agree that the issue deserves attention,
consensus dissolves around how to respond to the problem. This
literature review examines one approach to treating childhood
obesity: medication. The paper compares the effectiveness for
adolescents of the only two drugs approved by the Food and
Drug Administration (FDA) for long-term treatment of obesity,
sibutramine and orlistat. This examination of pharmacological
treatments for obesity points out the limitations of medication
and suggests the need for a comprehensive solution that
combines medical, social, behavioral, and political approaches to
this complex problem.