Diethylpropion in the Treatment of Obesity

DIETHYLPROPION ("Tenuate") has been shown to be useful in the treatment of refractory obesity (Seaton et al., 1961). Appetite suppression with the standard preparation is reported to last about four hours (Spielman, 1959) and the drug must be taken at least three times daily. This paper reports the use of a longacting preparation of the drug, which need be taken only once a day. It is marketed as "Tenuate Dospan" in which the active principle is incorporated with a hydrophilic colloid, which expands in the intestine and allows a continuous release of the drug. The advantage claimed, in addition to the virtual absence of undesirable central nervous stimulation (Wilson and Long, 1960; Nash, 1960), is that the sustained release tablet will provide hunger control for a full twelve hours. Diethylpropion (a-diethylaminopropionophenone) is closely related structurally to amphetamine (B-aminopropylbenzene).