FDA OKs nonprescription diet pill for those over 18

By Melissa Tav
The Collegian

For some students hoping to shed a little post-Valentine’s Day weight, there is a new diet pill on the market that will help them get rid of those unwanted pounds.

On Feb. 7, the Food and Drug Administration announced its approval of the first diet nonprescription pill to be sold over-the-counter.

The drug, called alli, is a half-strength version of the prescription diet drug Xenical, and is only intended for people who are overweight and are 18 and older.

FDA officials say it is imperative that the drug be used in conjunction with a proper diet and exercise program.

“Using this drug alone is unlikely to be beneficial,” Dr. Charles Ganley, FDA’s director of nonprescription products, said in a news conference.

Mollie Smith, a registered dietician and lecturer at Fresno State, agrees with Ganley.

“The prescription drug is effective, but you have to use it with a low-fat diet,” Smith said. “[alli] forces you to do something other than just take the pill. You need to exercise and diet as well.”

The drug will be sold by GlaxoSmithKline PLC and is expected to cost about $1 to $2 per day.

According to the American Obesity Web site, currently 64.5 percent of U.S. adults, age 20 years and older, are overweight, and 30.5 percent are obese.

Smith said with over-the-counter drugs comes a concern of over consumption or misuse.

“People need to realize that [alli] is not magic,” Smith said. “You can’t just eat all the fat you want and expect to lose the weight still. You need to take it the right way or you will suffer the consequences.”

One primary consequence is that consuming too much fat (more than the 30 percent recommended) can result in a number of ailments such as cramps, bloating and diarrhea.

Some of the appeal of the drug is that an individual would lose 50 percent more weight than with just a diet alone; therefore 25 percent (or about 150 to 200 calories) of the fat in a food a person consumes would be blocked out.

Ganley said trials showed that for every 5 pounds lost through diet and exercise, alli users benefited by losing an extra 2 to 3 pounds.

With promising results like this, some students on campus say alli is something they are willing to try.

“I might try it if it works,” Rosalinda Garcia said, a senior health science major. “Everyone is so into dieting right now. I’ve tried some diet pills before, but it didn’t work like it said it would. I think this one might work because it’s the first FDA-approved pill.”

However, not all students believe diet pills are the right way to lose weight.

Kim Truc Cao, a graduate student in early education, said she would not use alli.

“I am very wary of diet pills in general,” Cao said. “I feel that diet pills a lot of times never do what it’s supposed to do. It is unhealthy to push your body to go beyond what it should. It is scary when you think about people buying into it.”

While the temptation for college students is present, Smith said it is important students take diet pills as directed.

“I would prefer it if students take diet pills the safe way, not the harmful way. They need to use diet pills with common sense,” Smith said.

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