People looking to lose weight now have a nonprescription drug to consider for the first time ever. The company is GlaxoSmithKline, whose drug called “orlistat” is the first over-the-counter item used to shed pounds to be approved by the Food and Drug Administration.
The company is likely hoping that orlistat can deflect some of the negative attention currently being heaped on its diabetes medication, “Rosiglitazone Maleate.” It has faced a media storm since being found to put patients at greater risk of a heart attack.
As for orlistat, it will join the $1 billion industry of obesity- fighting products — most of which aren’t proven but only theorized to work. GlaxoSmithKline is aiming their marketing arrows at Hispanics and African Americans, 76% of whom in the U.S. are overweight. (Some statistics the eye glazes over; this is not one them.) For example, GlaxoSmithKline has built a web site entirely in Spanish, has bilingual information in pharmacies, and offers recipes for low-fat Mexican and southern cuisine.
That 76% figure is courtesy of the government, and it shows that many people in America don’t recognize the link between obesity and major health problems like diabetes and stroke. According to experts, many new immigrants could access foods of poor quality and tending to compensate by adding tasty things such as butter and salt to the food. These individuals were hard-working, often in physical jobs, and developed a taste for high-fat foods. They were able to burn calories off at work, but their children and grandchildren are generally less active… but still share that same taste for fatty food.
In any event, orlistat stops your body from releasing lipase enzymes, which breaks down fat in the digestive system. It is essentially the same as a prescription drug, except it is a lower dose. Both orlistat and lipase enzymes have the potential to help you shed 50% more pounds than you would while actively dieting.
What happens is orlistat will make more fat pass through your body without being absorbed. The important point is that unless you combine it with a low-calorie diet and stick to your guns, it won’t work. It may also lead to some side effects, including difficult bowel movements.
Some are welcoming orlistat to the obesity-fighting arsenal, but others are criticizing it. Public Citizen, an advocacy group, calls the FDA “reckless” in granting approval so fast. Plus, in animal trials, the drug seems to lead to lesions in the gut — the kind that can turn into cancer later on. Will GlaxoSmithKline be forced to deflect attention from orlistat three years from now?
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