May 1993 � Interneuron Pharmaceuticals files a new-drug application with the FDA for Redux, a chemical cousin of the drug combination �phenfen� that set off a weightloss drug craze starting in 1992.

November 1993 � Committee of experts meets at World Health Organization in Geneva to discuss body-type measures. It cannot agree on a cut-off point for the amount of fat that constitutes obesity.

January 1995 � The New England Journal of Medicine publishes analysis of the Nurses Health Study that attributes greater health risks to obesity and says that even small amounts of weight loss can reduce those risks. Dr. JoAnn Manson, study author, is a consultant for Redux�s manufacturer.

May 1995 � NIH invites 24 experts to write guidelines for diagnosing and treating obese patients. They officially define overweight as a body mass index (BMI) between 25 and 29.9, and obesity as a BMI of 30 or more. The panel, which includes the father of phen-fen, is criticized for ties to drug and weight-loss companies.

September 1995 � Obesity experts testify in support of Redux, stressing that obesity is a killer disease that demands long-term treatment. They acknowledge deadly side effects from the drug but say obesity is an even worse killer. FDA advisory committee votes 5-3 against approval because of concerns over Redux�s links to a deadly lung disease and possible nerve damage.

November 1995 � The FDA advisory committee votes 6-5 to recommend approval for Redux's long-term use in people who meet the official definition of �obese.� It also recommends approval for people at lower weights if they have other medical conditions.

April 1996 � FDA clears Redux for marketing.

May 1996 � An international group of obesity experts, with financial backing from drug companies, works to �convince WHO that obesity had become a global issue that could be ignored no longer.� At WHO headquarters in Geneva, they lay the groundwork for an official definition of obesity based on BMI. Task-force members include doctors who are heading clinical trials of weight-loss drugs.

August 1996 � The New England Journal of Medicine publishes research showing that the risk of developing a deadly lung disease increases 23 times when Redux or other diet drugs are used for longer than three months.

June 12, 1997 � WHO declares obesity a pandemic after an expert consultation funded by members of the International Obesity Task Force. The word �pre-obese� is used for the first time in an official capacity to describe people who were previously classified as �overweight.� The consultation also produces detailed recommendations for drug treatment.

July 1997 � Mayo Clinic doctors identify 24 women who developed heartvalve damage after taking Redux. FDA issues public-health advisory to alert doctors and patients to the dangers, setting off a public panic.

September 1997 � Redux is withdrawn from the market.

April 2004 � Analysis by the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention concludes that the deaths attributed to obesity and being overweight have been greatly overstated.