Slimming pills 'sold without warnings'

Dr Raizada ran the clinics with his wife

Two doctors sold powerful appetite suppressants linked to fits, epilepsy and heart problems without warning of possible side effects, the General Medical Council (GMC) has been told.

Doctor Sudesh Madan, 52, and her husband Doctor Surendra Raizada, 56, both of Prescot, Merseyside face a series of allegations of serious medical misconduct.

A disciplinary committee of the GMC heard that Dr Madan, helped by her husband, ran the Look Right Dieting and Slimming clinics in the North west and Wales.

They ran them from hotels, hairdressers and beauty salons in towns such as Rhyl, Warrington, Blackburn and St Helen's.

Powerful suppressant

The clinics were advertised in newspapers and urged the public to "lose weight safe and fast " with the "latest revolutionary slimming tablets".

But the aim was to sell tablets of Duromine, a powerful appetite suppressant, regardless of the patient's weight or health, it was alleged.

Jill Williams, 44, a standards inspector for the Royal Pharmaceutical Society, told how she visited a Look Right Clinic inside a hairdresser's salon in Warrington in November 1998.

He simply looked at the form and didn't ask me any questions about it. It took less than a minute

Jill Williams

She described how she filled in a form and then went upstairs and was weighed by a nurse, who measured her height and took her blood pressure and told her she was "slightly overweight".

She said 15 minutes later she was called into another room where she met Dr Raizada, who looked at the form and said he would give her the slimming capsules.

"He simply looked at the form and didn't ask me any questions about it. It took less than a minute.

"He said the tablets would reduce my appetite . He said they might cause some side effects like restlessness in the night.

"He told me to take them in the morning, eat three sensible meals and drink several glasses of water."

But she said the doctor did not mention any side effects and did not give any advice about diet, exercise, other ways of losing weight, how overweight she was and whether she should inform her own GP about the treatment.

Dr Madan and her husband deny misconduct

Miss Williams said she then went into another room and was given a bottle of tablets.

She paid £10 for the consultation and £20 for the capsules and made another appointment for two weeks' time. She was not given a receipt.

Two weeks later, Miss Williams said she returned to the clinic for another appointment which was this time with Dr Madan.

She was weighed and told that she had lost 1lb.

"She asked if I was eating sensibly and I said I had been out for a couple of meals.

Lost licence

"She asked would I like the higher strength tablets but I said the doctor should decide.

She said she would sell lower strength tablets this time but higher strength ones next time."

Miss Williams added that she was again not asked about the possible side effects or given any advice about dieting or other methods of losing weight.

"There was nothing, there was no discussion about that."

Duromine lost its licence in April 2000 because it was felt the possible risks outweighed the benefits.

Both doctors deny they acted irresponsibly, made judgements that were against a patient's interests or made decisions that were clinically unjustified.

They also deny serious professional misconduct.