All About alli Weight Loss Pill

Alli is a generic weight loss pill made by the giant pharmaceutical company GlaxoSmithKline. It contains a lower dose of the drug Orlistat than what is found in the prescription drug Xenical. Presumably the name Alli is more appealing to consumers than either Orlistat or Xenical, both of which sound like alien planets.

On its website GlaxoSmithKline helpfully explains how Alli works: “The active ingredient attaches to some of the natural enzymes in the digestive system preventing them from breaking down about a quarter of the fat you eat. Undigested fat cannot be absorbed and passes through the body naturally”.

In 2007 the Australian Government banned Xenical/Alli from being publicly advertised due to fears that people who shouldn’t use it would buy it. Alli is only suitable for people who are obese with a BMI of 30 or more.

In its first month of sales (June 2007) it made $32 million dollars and accounted for half the money made from over the counter weight loss tablets. In the next month sales halved and have declined each month to a low of $7 million in December 2007.

By now the side effects of Alli are well known and may well account for the significant drop in sales. These side effects include bloating, diarrhoea, and stomach cramps. GlaxoSmithKline state that these side effects can be avoided if you stay within your recommended fat intake for each meal (15grams on average). Therefore people who commit to using Alli require a lot of discipline.

Anecdotal evidence suggests that after ending use of Alli most people regained much of the weight they had lost. Presumably this is partly because they were now able to enjoy a diet containing a higher amount of fat, and no longer lived in fear of the side effects.

Using Alli in conjunction with a healthy eating regimen can definitely help obese people to lose a lot of weight. The fact that users regain much of that lost weight when they cease using Alli is a concern for consumers. It suggests that it is perhaps the healthy diet more than the pills which is helping people to lose weight.