Prescription weight loss aid offered over the counter
Reported November 06, 2007
Dieters should soon have access to a weight loss pill now sold by prescription only. A panel of doctors and scientists with the Food and Drug Administration voted last night to make Xenical an over the counter weight loss aid.
Xenical is a fat blocker that doctors say should be taken by someone who is overweight or obese. It blocks a quarter to a third of the available fat calories in a meal.
Doctors say those taking the weight loss pills need to follow a low fat, heart healthy diet with plenty of exercise.
“It’s not a rapid weight loss drug so I would not recommend it for someone who have a few pounds to lose and it will probably be abused in that context,” said Dr. Lewis Pincus, Methodist Weight Management Institute.
The diet drug will cost anywhere from $12 to $25 for a week’s supply. There is no work yet on when it will be available over the counter.