Obesity is a major medical problem in the United States. In the 1990s, an estimated 55% of the adult U.S. population were above their ideal body weights and as a consequence, were at risk for the development of various chronic ailments including diabetes, cardiovascular disease, and cancer. Both genetic and social factors contribute to the development of obesity. Currently available treatments include diet, exercise, anorectic sympathomimetic agents, and fat absorption inhibitors. Even though most patients are able to lose at least a portion of their excess weight, long‐term weight loss is extremely difficult to achieve, and behavior modification is an absolute requirement for ultimate success. The appetite suppressant drugs with significant sales, phenylpropanolamine, phentermine, and sibutramine, are based on stimulation of the sympathetic nervous system and are indicated only for short‐term treatment of obesity because of their side effect profile and lack of robust efficacy. The first fat absorption inhibitor, the pancreatic lipase inhibitor orlistat, was recently introduced to the U.S. market for use as an adjunct to a reduced‐calorie diet. Although drug treatment is not likely to replace diet and behavior modification for the control of obesity, newer therapeutic agents based on recent discoveries concerning the central nervous system integration of satiety signals and the mechanism of energy utilization in fat and skeletal muscle promise to provide new tools for the management of obesity. Presently, drugs hold only a minute share of the multibillion dollar weight loss market, but promise to capture a larger percentage, as more selective and effective agents become available.