THE sale of dangerous anti-obesity drugs to gullible and desperate patients was slammed by an expert giving evidence in the case against a doctor who ran a slimming clinic in East Lancashire.

Dr Sudesh Madan, 52, used glossy adverts in local newspapers in both England and Wales, boasting of treatment with a "New, Revolutionary Slimming Tablet," to attract customers, the General Medical Council's professional conduct committee heard.

Her activities, including a clinic at Blackburn's County Hotel, were exposed after an investigation by the Lancashire Evening Telegraph, the hearing was told.

But Professor Peter Kopelman, former chairman of a Royal College of Physicians working party on the treatment of obesity, said what people got was rushed consultations in inappropriate surroundings.

The doctor's patients -- almost all of them just wanted to lose a little weight and were not obese at all -- were in fact sold the highly controversial drug Duromine, from "clinics" in the same premises as hairdressers' salons and hired hotel rooms.

Dr Maden, of Briars Close, Rainhill, Prescott, Merseyside, who ran a clinic at Chesters Hairdressers, 23 Lovely Lane, Warrington, admits selling Duromine tablets to five patients who were not obese, knowing this was not recommended.

However, she denies knowing that one of the patients she had allegedly irresponsibly supplied to had epilepsy and another had high blood pressure, when in both cases it should not have been given.

Her husband Surendra Narain Raizada admits selling the tablets from a car boot but says he didn't know one customer was 15-years-old underweight girl. He further admits supplying to a woman who was not obese.

The incidents allegedly occurred between November, 1998, and October last year at places including the County Hotel, a hairdressers in Stanney, a beauty parlour at 97 Vale Road, Rhyl and Beautiful Nails, Lower Bridge Street, Chester.

The pair deny prescribing irresponsibly without clinical justification and not in the interests of the patients. They further deny allegations relating to adequate patient consultations such as sufficient examinations and advice.

Dr Madan also denies allowing her son to sit in on one consultation and arranging for her husband to take her clinic knowing he had insufficient training or experience.

She has run the Look Right clinic in the North-West in hotels and beauty salons including Chester, Crewe, Rochdale, Oldham, Huddersfield, Merseyside, Swinton and Runcorn.

She works for the St Helens and Knowsley Community Health NH Trust as a clinical medical officer for the child health service.

The professor, author of several respected reports on obesity, told the Central London hearing that the drugs prescribed could give patients a short-term 'buzz', whereas the adverse effects could include palpitations, a rise in blood pressure, anxiety and insomnia, as well as in rare cases brain haemorrhage and psychosis.

He said in one case he had studied where Dr Madan had sold the drug to an epileptic woman, the effect on her central nervous system could have been a "complete disaster."

Asked by barrister Mr Dafydd Enoch if he thought the drug prescription was "appropriate and responsible," Prof Kopelman replied: "From my research I find nothing to justify the prescription of Duromine to these patients.

"It is a perversity of current fashion that women in particular feel such a need to lose weight or keep their weight down."

"Women in particular are very conscious about their weight. This made them particularly gullible to adverts such as this, promising 'no fee' consultations by a qualified doctor into a supposed clinically approved appetite suppressant."

(Proceeding)