Alli - the £1 a day slimming pill
Alli, a half strength version of the slimming drug Xenical, will be available over the counter in a few months time in the UK - ie it will be available without prescription. It is claimed that taking an Alli tablet at each meal will help a dieter to lose 50% more weight than with diet alone.
The cost of the drug will be about £1 per day. It is the first time that a clinically proven slimming drug will be available over the counter. Twenty five percent of people taking Alli lose about 10% of their initial bodyweight - which for the slightly overweight woman is the equivalent of a dress size.
Alli has been on sale in the US for about 6 months now and is soon to appear on pharmacy shelves in the UK. It is a half strength version of the prescription only slimming drug Xenical and has the same active ingredient, orlistat. Sales of Alli in the US have grossed over $150 million. Glaxo, the manufacturers of Alli, have applied for a licence to sell the drug in the UK and it is likely to go on sale during 2008.
However, certain members of the medical profession are concerned that the drug will be used as a quick fix instead of the fundamental problems of poor diet and a lack of exercise being addressed. In addition, the pill has the unpleasant side effect of wind (with oily spotting) and diarrhoea. It is thought that these side effects may put off some potential pill poppers. The pill works by preventing the absorption of some of the fat in the diet. This fat, unabsorbed, passes through the digestive system until it is excreted - hence the sometimes unpleasant side effects.
However, some people have lost massive amounts of weight. It is likely that the best and longest lasting results will be seen by dieters who also follow a low fat diet and increase the amount of exercise they take.