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US Probes Roche, Glaxo Diet Drug Over... - ABC News

(World health - EU Monitor 24/08/2009)

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - U.S. health officials are reviewing reports of liver injury in people who took Roche Holding AG's weight loss drug Xenical or the over-the-counter version sold by GlaxoSmithKline. The Food and Drug Administration said on Monday it had received 32 reports between 1999 and 2008 of serious liver injury in patients taking the drug, which is known generically as orlistat. All but two involved prescription Xenical and occurred outside the United States.

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My month on the fat pill

(Daily Express 11/08/2009)

This wonder pill called Alli is claimed to advance your weight loss goals by 50%. If you can lose a couple of kilograms yourself, pop an Alli and it will zap another kilo for your efforts. Alli is the trade name given by pharma giant GlaxoSmithKline (GSK) to the anti-obesity drug orlistat. It works by attaching itself to the digestive enzymes whose job is to break down fat, incapacitating them to the extent that 25% of the fat you eat passes through the system unabsorbed.

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Do Diet Drugs Work? We test Alli and Appesat

(Telegraph 01/05/2009)

"I figured out the secret behind the Alli pills. It's fear. And fear, as it turns out, is a great way to lose weight. All week, I've dutifully taken one pill before every meal and made sure to keep my calories low and fat intake even lower. Or suffer. With the ghastly gastro-intestinal "diet related side effects" never far from my mind, I haven't so much as looked at anything high in fat all week. And surprise, surprise, I lost 3lbs.

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Chemists to start diet pill sales

(BBC 21/04/2009)

A pill said to help dieters lose extra pounds is to go on sale over the counter in the UK for the first time. Orlistat - brand name Alli - has been licensed for prescription in the UK for more than 10 years. Overweight people will be able to get the drug from chemists for £50 for a month's supply from Wednesday. The pill, which works by blocking the absorption of fat in the body, is aimed at adults with a Body Mass Index (BMI) of 28 or more.

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Jeremy Laurance: What's wrong with a pill that helps people eat a better diet?

(The Independent 27/01/2009)

What, exactly, is the problem with a pharmaceutical diet pill, costing about £1.50 a day, being made available over the counter for the first time? News of the pill has triggered a sudden rush of blood to the head among protesters complaining that it will undermine those essential human qualities of discipline and willpower.

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Chemists to provide obesity pill

(BBC 21/01/2009)

The obesity pill, orlistat, has been licensed to be sold over-the-counter at chemists in the EU. The pill, which works by blocking the absorption of fat in the body, will be available at a lower dose than doctors generally prescribe. The Royal College of GPs said everyone who wanted the pill should go to their GP for advice because some of them would have treatable causes for their obesity.

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The '£1-a-day pill that can help you drop a dress size

(Daily Mail 05/01/2009)

A half-strength version of the prescription-only diet drug Xenical is to be sold over the counter. Gareth Williams, professor of medicine at Bristol University, wrote: 'Taking it without medical supervision may achieve an average daily energy deficit of only 100kcal - equivalent of leaving a few French fries on a plate or eating an apple instead of ice cream.'

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