In January 2006, a federal advisory panel recommended that the FDA make the weight-loss medication orlistat (Xenical) available without a prescription.

Although the FDA usually takes the panel’s advice, Xenical's approval is uncertain. Many question the Xenical's effectiveness in the broader population; others worry about its side effects, reports the April issue of Harvard Women’s Health Watch.

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A new weight-loss solution would be welcome; two-thirds of adults in the United States are overweight or obese and at risk for major health problems and early death.

But the reasons for weight problems are complex. No pill can melt away fat or keep the pounds off. Yet for people whose health is at risk, drug therapy may increase the odds of success.

Even though weight-loss drugs have a role to play in medical treatment, their long-term safety is unknown, says Harvard Women’s Health Watch.

And like all medications, they can pose problems. Xenical, which inhibits the body’s ability to take in fats, can also interfere with the absorption of certain vitamins.

The National Institutes of Health advises that diet drugs be taken only by severely overweight people who need them for health reasons, and only in combination with lifestyle modifications.

For example, one study found that people taking the weight-loss drug Meridia (sibutramine) who also received counseling on diet and exercise lost twice as much weight as those who received either Meridia or counseling alone.

The bottom line: weight-loss drugs can help, but they’re not the ultimate solution. The key to long-term weight loss is effort on many fronts. 

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