WASHINGTON, Jan. 23 (UPI) -- Government health experts are recommending approval of an over-the-counter version of the prescription weight-loss drug Orlistat.
If the Food and Drug Administration approves the recommendation, a reduced dosage of Orlistat -- currently marketed as Xenical -- could be available directly to consumers later this year under the name Alli, The Washington Post reported.
Orlistat was approved as a weight loss and weight maintenance drug by the FDA in 1999 to treat obese and overweight people who already have weight-related health problems including diabetes, heart disease or high blood pressure.
GlaxoSmithKline Consumer Healthcare, the maker of Orlistat, says that 22 million people in 145 countries have taken the drug.
The drug is meant to be used in conjunction with exercise and a low-calorie diet. "It's not a miracle drug," said Lawrence Cheskin, director of the Weight Management Center at Johns Hopkins Medical Institutions in Baltimore, who conducted a study of Orlistat in adolescents. "None of these (weight loss) medications are."
Gastrointestinal side effects include flatulence, diarrhea and anal leakage, the newspaper said.
