NUTLEY, N.J., June 15 (UPI) -- A prescription drug used to block fat absorption in the body may help obese teenagers lose weight without serious side effects, a new study said.
Obese teenagers who took the drug Orlistat, combined with a reduced calorie diet and regular exercise, had a better rate of losing weight and keeping it off than those who made the same lifestyle changes but took a placebo, said the study published in the current Journal of the American Medical Association (JAMA).
The majority of the patients taking Orlistat experienced moderate gastrointestinal problems, such as nausea and uncontrollable bowel movements, but they did not show any major safety concerns, The Washington Times said.
Orlistat is sold in the United States as Xenical by Hoffman-La Roche Inc., the Nutley, N.J.-based subsidiary of global pharmaceutical company Roche Group.
The drug, approved by the Food and Drug Administration in 1999, reduces fat absorption by 30 percent, the report said.
