It looks like the FDA is about to approve a new over-the-counter diet pill. "Alli" is likely to appear on your drugstore shelves within a few months. This pill contains orlistat, and blocks about a quarter of the fat that you eat on any given day.
This diet pill will probably cost about $12 to $15 a week. It contains half the orlistat of Xenical.
According to Dr. John Abramson of Harvard Medical School this drug decreases fat absorption meaning that if you eat too much fat, it will end up in your stool and will likely make your stools oily and possibly give you diarrhea. The drug has been shown to help with an average weight loss of six pounds over six months. But once people stop taking it, unless they've changed their diet or exercise patterns, they will likely put the weight back on.
Right now people need a doctor's prescription to buy Xenical; the leading fat-blocking diet pill. If Alli can be bought without a prescription over the counter, the drug company GlaxoKlineSmith is expected to make huge profits. We can probably expect to see some massive new advertising for this pill over the next few months.
