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Experts Assess What Works for Weight Loss
Posted 3 Oct 2011 by Drugs.com
MONDAY , Oct. 3 – Weight loss programs that focus on changing behaviors, as well as those that combine behavior changes and weight-loss medications such as orlistat (Alli, Xenical), can help people shed pounds, according to a new review. "We found behaviorally based weight loss programs are generally effective for weight loss," said Dr. Erin LeBlanc, an investigator for Kaiser Permanente Center for Health Research in Portland, Ore. LeBlanc declined to mention particular behavioral intervention programs by name. However, components of commercial programs such as Weight Watchers, Jenny Craig and others include group support, encouragement of physical activity, setting of goals and other strategies. The study is published in the Oct. 4 issue of the Annals of Internal Medicine. LeBlanc and her colleagues were asked by the U.S. Preventive Services Task Force (USPSTF) – a federal government ... Read more
Weight-Loss Drugs Alli and Xenical Should Be Removed from the Market, Public Citizen Tells FDA
Posted 15 Apr 2011 by Drugs.com
From Targeted News Service (April 14, 2011) WASHINGTON, April 14 – Public Citizen issued the following news release: The over-the-counter weight-loss drug Alli and its prescription form Xenical should be removed from the market immediately because they not only can damage the liver, but also, based on new information obtained from FDA adverse reaction files, have been associated with 47 cases of acute pancreatitis and 73 cases of kidney stones, Public Citizen said today in a petition to the Food and Drug Administration (FDA). Both drugs are forms of orlistat; Xenical has 120 milligrams (mgs) and Alli has 60 mgs. Their serious risks greatly outweigh their benefits, which are questionable, because neither has been shown to be much more effective than diet and exercise. "Any one of these serious risks alone would be sufficient basis for banning Xenical and Alli," said Dr. Sidney Wolfe, ... Read more
Rare Cases of Liver Damage Tied to Weight-Loss Drug
Posted 27 May 2010 by Drugs.com
WEDNESDAY, May 26 – Responding to reports of rare but sometimes severe cases of liver damage, U.S. health officials on Wednesday announced revised labels for a widely used weight-loss drug. The drug, orlistat, is available by prescription under the trade name Xenical and over-the-counter as Alli. Thirteen cases of severe liver injury have been associated with taking orlistat, 12 of them overseas and one of them, from Alli, in the United States, according to a statement from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration. Still, given that some 40 million people worldwide are taking the drug, according to FDA estimates, consumers needn't be too worried about the risk, said Dr. Eugene Schiff, director of the Center for Liver Diseases at the University of Miami Miller School of Medicine. "The issue here is that they are identifying cases, not many, but some cases of severe liver injury," he said. ... Read more
FDA Investigating Weight-Loss Drug Over Reports of Liver Damage
Posted 12 Jan 2010 by Drugs.com
TUESDAY, Aug. 25 – As U.S. health officials announced Monday that they are investigating the weight-loss drug orlistat for possible incidents of liver damage, experts noted the drug might not even work well enough to warrant such potential risks. Orlistat is available in the United States, both as a prescription product (Xenical) and as an over-the-counter medication (Alli). Depending on the findings from the investigation, this could dramatically change the risk-benefit ratio of taking the drug, experts noted. The weight loss gleaned from the drug is quite modest, about 5 kilograms, said Dr. Timothy Pfanner, an assistant professor of internal medicine at the Texas A&M Health Science Center College of Medicine and a gastroenterologist with Scott & White, in Temple, Texas. "It's not a really effective drug. The benefit is not so great to begin with," he said, and additional risks might ... Read more