Dinitrophenol and obesity: An early twentieth-century regulatory dilemma

doi:10.1016/j.yrtph.2007.03.006

Regulatory Toxicology and Pharmacology

Volume 48, Issue 2, July 2007, Pages 115-117

https://doi.org/10.1016/j.yrtph.2007.03.006 Get rights and content

Abstract

In the early 1930s, the industrial chemical dinitrophenol found widespread favor as a weight-loss drug, due principally to the work of Maurice Tainter, a clinical pharmacologist from Stanford University. Unfortunately the compound’s therapeutic index was razor thin and it was not until thousands of people suffered irreversible harm that mainstream physicians realized that dinitrophenol’s risks outweighed its benefits and abandoned its use. Yet, it took passage of the Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act in 1938 before federal regulators had the ability to stop patent medicine men from selling dinitrophenol to Americans lured by the promise of a drug that would safely melt one’s fat away.

Section snippets

Acknowledgment

I thank John P. Swann for alerting me to the existence of the FDA seizure files at the National Library of Medicine.

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^☆: Disclaimer: The views expressed in this article are those of the author and they should not be construed as representing the official position of the Food and Drug Administration.

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CommentaryDinitrophenol and obesity: An early twentieth-century regulatory dilemma☆

Abstract

Section snippets

Acknowledgment

J. Biol. Chem.

Valvular heart disease associated with fenfluramine–phentermine

N. Engl. J. Med.

Actions of dinitrophenol

Proc. Soc. Exper. Biol. Med.

Actions and uses of dinitrophenol: promising metabolic applications

JAMA

Cataract following dinitrophenol treatment for obesity

Arch. Ophth.

Cataracts following the use of dinitrophenol, preliminary report of 3 cases

JAMA

Commentary
Dinitrophenol and obesity: An early twentieth-century regulatory dilemma☆