DOUBT ABOUT A FAT DRUG IS ON THIN GROUND I believe that ''The new fracas over fat pills'' (Science & Technology, Sept. 28), which highlights unpublished experimental studies by Dr. Richard J. Wurtman and his colleagues, may have unnecessarily created false impressions and fears among readers. There is a serious question about Wurtman's attempt to conclude from a 1970s published study that phentermine inhibits monoamine oxidase (MAO). The doses used in that study--not performed on humans--were far above approved amounts taken by patients using phentermine. Given this fact, the relevance of this study to phentermine users is questionable. Thus, despite the contentions in your article, the data do not support Wurtman's hypothesis that phentermine should be labeled an MAO inhibitor. It is important for readers to understand that fenfluramine and defenfluramine were pulled from the market because of associations with heart and lung problems; phentermine remains available for use as a Food & Drug Administration-approved anti-obesity drug. Benedict R. Lucchesi Professor of Pharmacology Univ. of Michigan Medical School Ann Arbor, Mich.

Updated Oct. 22, 1998 by bwwebmaster
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