The US weight-loss supplement industry made $3.9 billion in sales last year. With this information The Diet Channel took a good, hard look at the safety and efficacy of diet pills, both over the counter and prescription.
Prescription weight loss pills are heavily regulated and over the counter are not. Some of the prescriptions meds reviewed include: fen-phen, Meridia, and Orlistat. Prescription meds are qualified by their ability to induce 10-20% weight loss in a year. However, both prescription and over-the-counter provisions state you must follow a healthy diet and exercise. To expect a change in your body without changing your lifestyle is nearly irrational.
Over the counter products tend to evade heavy regulation. However this lack of regulation comes at the cost of potentially harmful side effects. The article continues to mention other over the counter weight loss supplements including: green tea, caffeine, hoodia and alli. The billion dollar question is: if any of these pills truly worked, why is the obesity epidemic getting worse? Stay tuned for an upcoming article on the newest supplement alli. No, it wasn't named after me.
1. Allie--
A couple of articles by pharma bloggers Ed Silverman and John Mack may be of interest to readers. Ed's article: "With an Alli Like This, Who Needs Enemas" is at http://www.pharmalot.com/2007/06/with-an-alli-like-this-who-needs-enemas/ and John weighs in with an article showing pharma's proclivity for "newspeak" as a means to promote directly to consumers. His article is titled: "Alli Newspeak: Oily Spotting is 'Treatment Effect'."
While both inject some humor into the product/promotion efforts, on a larger scale, it emphasizes to just what lengths Big Pharma will go to separate customers (patients) from their money. Silverman followed up with an article showing that despite side effects, the stuff is flying off the shelves (see http://www.pharmalot.com/2007/06/glaxos-alli-the-public-eats-it-up/
One commenter doubted that many customers would repeat the purchase, considering the side effects and efficacy issues. But if every dieter--every dieter--bought just a single box, imagine how handsomely Glaxo would be rewarded.
Posted at 9:41AM on Jun 18th 2007 by Melody Hoadley