One new treatment for obesity was approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration in 2007, but a second, more promising treatment has been withdrawn -- at least for the time being -- out of concern over side-effects.

A low-dose version of the anti-obesity drug Xenical (orlistat), marketed as Alli (pronounced AL-EYE), went on sale over-the-counter in mid-June amid a flurry of excitement. But the U.S. application for prescription diet drug Zimulti (rimonabant), already on sale in Europe as Acomplia, was withdrawn after an FDA advisory panel unanimously urged more testing.

GlaxoSmithKline reports that Americans spend $23 billion dollars annually on diet pills. More than $22 billion of this goes for "natural" and herbal diet supplements -- many promising unbelievable results -- that are subject to virtually no regulatory review.

The Diet Drug Report, updated daily, provides the latest news on prescription and over-the-counter diet drugs -- as well as diet pills -- serving as an independent source of information for obese and overweight Americans looking for an effective aid to weight loss.