With Allis Like These, Who Needs Enemas?

I'm just going to blatantly rip off something Lou Schuler wrote over at his blog:

The big news today: An FDA panel has recommended that the manufacturer of a prescription fat-blocking pill be allowed to sell it over the counter in the U.S.

The pill has a kind of cool generic name -- Orlistat -- and a cheesy trade name: Xenical. It'll be sold under yet another name, Alli, which sounds like half of a famous comedy team -- the wrong half for a weight-loss pill.

Orlistat sounds almost regal to me ("Your highness, I present the Duke of Orlistat"), which is appropriate, considering the entire point of the drug is to send more of what you eat down the porcelain throne before your body has a chance to absorb it.

Actions like this just boggle my mind. A prescription drug with minimal benefits and disgusting and discomforting side effects has passed the first step towards being sold over the counter just because there is an obesity epidemic. Yet, supplements like ephedra that are known to work and have fewer side effects are banned because the FDA doesn't regulate them.

Puh-leez. This is just continues to show how deep our government's hands are in the pockets of druge companies.

From the Washington Post article:

Here's what else you need to know about Orlistat, which GSK plans to market as Alli:

It won't work alone . Orlistat makes "weight loss easier, but not effortless," says Gary Foster, clinical director of the University of Pennsylvania's Weight and Eating Disorders Program. Foster worked with GSK to develop an online, year-long weight loss plan for those who take the drug over-the-counter. "You can't just take the pill and sort of check out," he says, noting that counting calories and increasing physical activity are still important. Plus, Orlistat only is effective when it's taken with food.

Prepare to pay. GSK vice president Steve Burton says that Alli will probably cost "about the same as a soda and a bag of chips," or about $2 to $3 per day. But that's for a 60 milligram dose -- half of what has been modestly effective in clinical trials. Studies show that weight loss is smaller at lower doses. (A 30-day supply of prescription Orlistat runs about $160 or about $6 per day.)

Calories still count . Some people try to avoid Orlistat's side effects by skipping high-fat fare but overeating low-fat or nonfat foods. "If someone complains that they are hungry all the time, they probably should not choose to take Orlistat," Cheskin says.

Plan on taking a multivitamin . Some key vitamins are not well absorbed when Orlistat is used. Among them are vitamins A, D, E and K, which are important for eyesight, bones, immune function and more. Users of Alli will be advised to take a multivitamin daily to make up for the loss.

Figure on long-term usage . Studies show that once the drug is stopped, weight usually returns, suggesting that those who take Alli will likely have to stay on it long-term or cycle on and off it.

Yep, it's a miracle drug. Anything that blocks the absorbtion of vitamins gets my vote as an effective nutritional aid. Oh, and I'm sure this pill won't be misused or abused in any way by people with eating disorders.