Alli Diet Pills Sell Like Crazy
Alli is the over-the-counter version of the weight-loss drug Xenical (orlistat). While Xenical was not very commercially successful, Alli has hit a home run, unfortunately. GlaxoSmithKline, the maker of the drug, announced that it had sold 2 million starter packs of Alli during the first four months after its release.
Orlistat works by blocking the absorption of about one-third of the fat consumed in the diet. However, the dose of Alli is lower than the prescription version of the drug. Xenical has uncomfortable side effects, including abdominal cramping, oily stools and intestinal gas.
Clinical studies demonstrated that people lose about 15 pounds from the drug in six months. Some health experts argued against releasing prescription control of orlistat because the drug might increase risk of breast cancer, trigger abnormal cell growth in the colon, prevent absorption of important nutrients and causes only minimal long-term weight loss (3 pounds in three years).
Alli has been extremely successful, but its long-term success is not clear. [sources: The New York Times, FitnessRX]
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