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Senior Citizen Health & Medicine
Alli Hits the Market by Friday Behind Lots of Hype
as First OTC Diet Pill
GlaxoSmithKline says alli designed for overweight adults willing to change how they eat and lose weight
gradually users say it works
 June 13, 2007 - alli(TM),
the only FDA-approved over-the-counter weight loss product will be on
shelves of pharmacies, grocery stores and mass merchandisers nationwide
by Friday. Adding alli to diet and exercise can help people lose 50
percent more weight than with dieting alone, says the manufacturer.
Senior citizens using blood thinners, being treated
for diabetes or thyroid disease should, however, consult physician, says
the FDA.
alli is designed to be a partner for overweight
adults willing to change how they eat and lose weight gradually. It is
being supported by an unprecedented multicultural and bilingual
educational effort, making it more than just a pill but a comprehensive
weight loss program.
With alli, people will have access to an
individualized online action plan with a year's worth of lessons
included in each alli purchase, at myalli.com, says GlaxoSmithKline
Consumer Healthcare.
"alli is not for people looking for miracle pills
and overnight results, the company cautions.
It offers consumers a proven, safe,
over-the-counter option to help them lose weight gradually," says Steven
L. Burton, vice president, Weight Control, GlaxoSmithKline Consumer
Healthcare.
"One of the most rewarding parts of being involved
with the alli revolution is the opportunity to have a real impact on the
health and lives of people all across this country. We recognize people
need help to lose weight and that is why we are so excited that alli is
now available to provide adults with the support they need."
alli First Team
In April 2007, GlaxoSmithKline Consumer Healthcare
selected 400 overweight women and men to be part of the alli First Team.
Members of the alli First team were invited to participate in an online
community focused on following the alli program, sharing personal
experiences, and supporting other community members to be successful.
For participating in the alli First Team, people
received educational materials and tracking tools, access to the online
community of alli users and a six-month supply of alli.
These early users are providing honest and candid
feedback on their experiences with alli in an effort to help others
succeed on the program, the company says.
"In beginning of the alli program, I learned that
there are treatment effects, so if you cheat (by eating foods that are
high in fat), you will pay the price," says Caryn Eyring, an alli First
Team Community member.
"Luckily, I've stayed within the plan so I have not
had any treatment effects. However, I pushed the envelope once."
Team members are adults from all across the United
States who represent a broad mix of ages, backgrounds and life
experiences and are committed to a gradual and healthy approach to
losing 10 pounds or more. According to alli First Team Community member
Maryann Gatti, "I am so happy that alli is available. It is giving me
the advantage to succeed at losing weight. I needed that extra little
something to help me, because for those of us who aren't as young as we
once were, and don't burn calories as well as we use to, dieting can
seem hopeless. alli is working for me."
The Program
GlaxoSmithKline Consumer Healthcare has developed
innovative tools to help consumers achieve success with the alli
program. People can find educational materials where alli is sold that
can help overweight adults decide if they are ready for alli.
alli comes in a variety of sizes - the 60 capsule
and 90 capsule educational starter packs or a 120 capsule refill pack
and is priced at approximately 60 cents a capsule or $1.80 per day. The
recommended dose is one 60mg orlistat (the active ingredient in alli)
capsule, three times a day, with meals containing fat. alli starter
packs include:
- Read Me First
Guide
- Welcome and Companion Guides
- Guide to Healthy Eating
- Daily Journal
- Calorie and Fat Counter
- Quick Facts Cards
- Free access to an individualized online action plan at myalli.com
- Convenient capsule carrying case called the Shuttle(TM) that easily
fits into a purse or pocket.
The centerpiece of the alli program - myalliplan --
is an individually tailored online action plan. The alli plan was
developed by nutritional and weight management experts who understand
the struggle to lose weight. After purchasing alli, people can access
this innovative support program 24 hours a day. myalliplan includes:
● Customized online action plan
● Recipes, meal plans and shopping lists
● Online tools to record food and lifestyle
information
● Connection to a network of other alli users
● Personalized e-mails that deliver lessons
about: meal planning, managing hunger, dealing with setbacks, and making
the food and lifestyle changes to help people succeed
alli works by blocking about 25 percent of fat in
the foods eaten which reduces the amount of fat and calories absorbed.
alli must be used in conjunction with a reduced-calorie, low-fat diet.
People in studies who adhered to the diet reported satisfaction with the
product and weight loss results. By sticking to a low-fat diet many were
able to manage bowel changes or "treatment effects" (such as having an
urgent need to go to the bathroom).
Many did not experience treatment
effects at all. The program teaches adults which foods to eat and which
foods to avoid for weight loss success and a healthier lifestyle
overall.
Gary Foster, Ph.D, director for the Center for
Obesity Research and professor at the Temple University School of
Medicine, and one of the consulting experts who helped develop the
online plan says, "We welcome the addition of the alli program as an
easily accessible, safe and effective option in the war against
overweight and obesity. It's time we set the record straight - losing
weight requires lifestyle changes. To get people started, we must
provide them with the tools to be successful, and the alli program does
that."
Safety Profile
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FDA Information |
|
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>> FDA Center
for Drug Evaluation and Research information on Orlistate OTC
(marketed as alli) -
Click Here
>> View the
information label (pdf) -
Click Here |
|
Orlistat (the active ingredient in alli) has been
used by millions of people worldwide. Its safety and efficacy are well
established. According to Vidhu Bansal, Pharm.D., director, Medical
Affairs, GlaxoSmithKline Consumer Healthcare, "With a raging overweight
and obesity epidemic, alli offers consumers a proven, safe option to
help them lose weight without a prescription.
Unlike the herbal and dietary supplements for
weight loss on the market, alli is an FDA-approved over the counter
weight loss product." Bansal adds, "alli works in the gut; it is
non-systemic, which means it is not absorbed into the bloodstream. That
means alli does not affect the heart or brain or cause sleeplessness,
jitters or an increased heart rate."
For more information about alli and the alli
program, go to www.myalli.com. People can also find a new book "are you
losing it? losing weight without losing your mind," wherever alli is
sold. The book delivers straight talk about healthy weight loss
strategies and offers a sensible approach to losing weight. Support
materials and the online action plan are also available in Spanish at
www.mialli.com.
Editors Notes:
About alli(TM)
alli is the only FDA-approved weight-loss product
available to overweight adults, 18 years or older, without a
prescription. It combines a clinically- proven product with a
comprehensive individualized action plan. The alli program encourages
modest, gradual weight loss, known by experts as the best way to lose
weight. alli (60 mg orlistat capsules) is safe and effective when used
as directed.
About GlaxoSmithKline Consumer Healthcare
GlaxoSmithKline Consumer Healthcare is one of the
world's largest over- the-counter consumer healthcare products
companies. Its more than 30 well- known brands include the leading
smoking cessation products, Nicorette(R), NicoDerm(R) CQ and Commit(R)
as well as many medicine cabinet staples, including Abreva(R),
Aquafresh(R), Sensodyne,(R) Tums(R) and Breathe Right(R).
About GlaxoSmithKline
GlaxoSmithKline -- one of the world's leading
research-based pharmaceutical and healthcare companies -- is committed
to improving the quality of human life by enabling people to do more,
feel better and live longer. For company information visit:
http://www.gsk.com/.
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