Anyone else see where the FDA approved a lower dose form of Xenical for over the counter use?

Looks like some nasty side effects associated with it, but kinda cool that they are making it available.

Wish they had picked another name for it. My name is Ali & its kinda weird having my name as a weight loss pill!

I'm not sure it's really a good thing to have one more weight loss pill on the market - because you know for certain that the majority of the people who take it will see it as a magic pill - and not read the instruction pamphlet that probably comes with it that says this pill works if you follow a sensible diet and exercise plan.

Pills are needed for some things - but for weight loss - i'm not sure it's really needed.

Yeah I just read how it works & it sounds gross! Side effects of diarrea & oily stools & possibly SUDDEN bowel movement!?! yuuuuck.

Sounds like it would deplete your body of good stuff along with the bad.
Not to mention ruin your weekend & make you quite the topic around the water cooler at work!

I already do enough to make me water cooler topic conversation fodder - being gassy or oily stools - i don't need

FDA Approves Over-The-Counter Weight Loss Pill
William Macklin - All Headline News Staff Reporter
Washington, D.C. (AHN) - In a first likely to shake up a diet industry bloated with bogus or unproven products; the Food and Drug Administration has approved over-the-counter sales of a weight loss drug.

The drug, orlistat, will be the first medication of its kind available without a prescription. Orlistat is currently available by prescription under the brand name, Xenical, but the FDA's ruling Wednesday will make the drug available to millions of new consumers seeking ways to shed pounds, some experts predict. The over-the-counter version of the drug will be sold under the name "Alli."

The FDA has faced complaints that the $1 billion diet industry is glutted with unproven and sometimes unsafe products. Officials at the FDA say lifting the prescription requirement on orlistat is an important step towards addressing those concerns.

Dr. Curtis J. Rosebraugh, an official with the agency, told the New York Times that it is "significant that there will now be available an over-the-counter product that we do have data on, that we know is efficacious and what the safety profile is."

Potential benefits aside, the drug can produce side effects, including diarrhea and oily stools.

And the FDA is quick to point out that Alli isn't a magic bullet. Users must still eat less and exercise more if they hope to lose weight on the drug.

Dr. Charles Ganley, FDA's director of nonprescription products, told the AP that "Using this drug alone is unlikely to be beneficial."

Ganley said in trials, for every five pounds people lost through diet and exercise, those using orlistat lost an additional two to three pounds.

The drug works by blocking the absorption of about one-quarter of food fat consumed. The fat is then passed out of the body in stools.

Some critics of orlistat have complained that side effects, such as fatty stool, only hint at the medication's true dangers.

Dr. Sidney M. Wolfe, director of Public Citizen's Health Research Group, told the AP that he considers the FDA's approval "the height of recklessness," and cited studies he said associated the prescription version of the drug with pre-cancerous lesions of the colon. Wolfe also called for withdrawal of the prescription version.

Dr. Arthur Frank, an obesity specialist in Washington, countered that orlistat has a safe record and told the Times the drug could help patients lose 5 percent to 10 percent of their weight.

GlaxoSmithKline, the company that makes Alli, said it intends to market the medication for $1 to $2 for a day's dose, and predicts that five million to six million people a year will it, the Times reports.

Xenical, which is made by Roche Holding AG, is typically prescribed in 120-milligram doses. Alli will be sold over-the-counter in capsules of 60-milligrams.

The FDA decision comes as the agency is facing mounting pressure to help address the nation's growing obesity problem.

About 60 million Americans, roughly 31 percent of all adults, are clinically obese; 64 percent are overweight, studies show.

I still don't get where they got the name "Alli".. especially from orlistat!

weird.

Makes me think about the whole Olestra thing a few years back. Where everyone thought it would be the way of the future & a magic way to eat mass quanities of guilt free junk food.... yeah that didn't work!

it also seems pretty pricey to me - especially when you consider that the prescription version of orlistat or xenical woud be covered if a person had insurance... and if thy don't have insurance then 2 bucks a day for pills that they still have to watch what they eat and exercise is a lot (that 2 bucks is my daily coffee

Nasty stuff really. Shows pictures of beautiful slim girls on the box having fun and frolicking, however, after trying this tea out for a couple days (What could be wrong with tea right??) I found I certainly was not frolicking. It causes diarhea and yes, SUDDEN bowel movements like Alli warns about. I was lucky enough not to be the center of attention at the water cooler, but damn close! I would have to get up 3 hours before work in order to have 4-5 very watery bowel movements before I could even begin to consider the commute to work. Then when I did get to work I was in the bathroom 5 or 6 more times that morning before finally being empty enough sit still. And that was from drinking the tea one time at night (not the reccomended 2 times a day). I find these types of products scary at best. Anything that can cause SUDDEN changes of any sort in my body, let alone bowel movements can't be good. And yet, now that it is OTC (over the counter) I am sure these pills will be sold like wildfire! WooHoo!! Another quick fix! Pooping away your weight!

Great. I think perhaps when selling products like these they should reach across the counter and give every customer a smack in the lips and scream "What are you thinking?!?!?" One "SUDDEN bowel movement" at the wrong time and thats exactly what I would be saying to myself....

sirant

Oily stools are no picnic. My psychiatrist let me try that and it was gross. People won't like it.

i tried them a couple of years ago- the prescription kind. in combination with a healthy lowish fat diet(as recommended) i did lose quite a bit of weight, with no side effects. the main benefit for me was the threat of the orange which kept me on the straight and narrow.
the only problem was the cost. i was buying them on the net, worked out too expensive in the end, so i lost motivation. some gp`s in this country were quite against prescribing them at the time (some still are) so i didnt bother asking. a relative`s got to lose weight quickly for medical reasons and her gp just fobs her off, so shes had to resort to more drastic and expensive means

I tried them too... the prescription kind. The only reason i lost weight i think was because i was so frightened to eat anything incase i got the 'oily stools' back! Never again!

Is anyone considering trying Alli - the new FDA approved weight loss drug?

I'm considering it... trying to read up on in now.

myalli.com – home page

http://weight-loss.fitness.com/news-...r-counter.html

the side effects mentioned int he eabove thread don't make it seem like it's worth it and the drug does stress a healthy diet and exercise..

Don't waste your cash or your health on the pill.

its orlistat marketed in a different way.

basically, it just prevents the body from digesting a certain percentage of the fat you consume (they claim about 25% blocked). its just another method of calorie restriction. problem is, you do need fats, as healthy fats are important to many organs (especially the two big ones, brain and heart), and even saturated fats have a role in testosterone production. sure, trans fats are pure evil, but orlistat isnt going to pick and choose what to block. heck, if you had a meal that was nothing but good fats that you need, it would just block those.

they claim they can help you lose weight 50% faster, but it is just a form of calorie restriction. which means you could get the same effect by just cutting your calories properly. of course, it will allow people to eat more and lose weight, but lets face it, thats not going to help much if you cant learn to manage calories in vs. calories out. what happens when you stop the drug? those calories you were still consuming but artificially blocking are now coming back to haunt you. and if you are on a calorie restriction, and then take this on top of it, you risk going into too much of a deficit (which is probably where their 50% quicker loss comes from).

one thing i will say in their favor, is they they are offering a support system with it, and they are really marketing it properly with emphasis on the slow steady and diet/exercise approach.