Obesity is an increasingly prevalent problem in developed countries, and a safe and effective medication for weight loss is eagerly sought.  Most weight loss medications have been plagued by serious side effects. Fenfluramine, a medication used with phentermine in the popular “fen-phen” combination in the 1990s, was found to cause serious heart valve abnormalities and was withdrawn from the market.  The two prescription medications currently available are only modestly effective and each suffer...