obesity

Led by the health insurance reform law, a flurry of drug and food recalls, key medical breakthroughs and plenty of layoffs and lawsuits, 2010 proved to be an exciting -- if not always positive -- year. Here's our rundown of the biggest health care stories.

An FDA panel of reviewers recommended that the administration expand approval for Allergan's Lap-Band, a weight-loss implant that currently is only available for the very obese, to those who are less obese.

Vivus shares are soaring this morning, even though the U.S. Food and Drug Administration rejected the drugmaker's obesity drug Qnexa yesterday. Investors are hoping that the FDA's rejection, which includes a request for more safety data -- not another clinical trial -- will lead to approval next year.

McDonald's has lost a $17,500 lawsuit from a former franchise manager in Brazil, who says he put on 65 pounds during his 12 years of working for the chain. The former employee blames the company's policy of mandatory food sampling and free employee lunches for his weight gain.

Drug and medical-device maker Abbott Laboratories announced Friday that it will voluntarily withdraw its controversial obesity drug Meridia, (sibutramine) from the U.S. market at the request of the FDA, due to concerns it increases the risk of heart attacks and strokes.

A new study from Columbia University finds that the reasons America is lagging other countries aren't the commonly cited obesity, smoking, traffic fatalities and homicide. Rather, the problem has been poor health care, or rather, a poor health care system.

Mayor Michael Bloomberg sought permission from the federal government to bar New York City's 1.7 million food stamp recipients from using them to buy sugary drinks such as sodas. Bloomberg, a staunch advocate of anti-obesity measures, sent the request to the United States Department of...

Obesity is expensive. Each year, obese American men pay an additional $2,646 to carry their extra weight, while obese women pay $4,879. That's the surprising result of a new study on the individual cost of obesity.

Another diet drug, Arena Pharmaceuticals's Iorcaserin, appears to be in danger after a U.S. Food and Drug Administration advisory panel voted to reject it Thursday.

It's a busy day at the FDA today as panels meet to discuss two new drugs -- one to help weight loss and the other to combat drug addiction -- and decide whether to approve AstraZeneca's new blood thinner medication.