Glaxo OTC weight-loss pill cleared for sale in EU

GlaxoSmithKline won a final green light yesterday to sell its weight-loss drug alli over the counter in Europe, boosting an important area of its consumer healthcare business.

The world’s second biggest drugmaker, which sees such non-prescription medicines as a growth opportunity at a time when sales of many prescription products are slowing, said it planned to launch alli in Europe in the coming months.

The approval from the European Commission had been widely expected, following a positive opinion from the European Medicines Agency in October. The drug has been available without prescription in the United States since 2007.

Monica Abdilla, country manager for GSK Consumer Healthcare Malta said: “In the US, alli has successfully helped millions of users lose weight gradually and steadily, and adopt a healthy lifestyle. The opportunity to create similar success in Europe comes as good news and we will be launching alli in pharmacies throughout Malta soon.”

Leading European obesity expert, Prof. Stephan Jacob from the Cardio-Metabolic Institute, Germany, added: “Research has shown that consumers are spending millions of euros each year on fad diets, unproven ‘miracle pills’ and potentially unsafe weight-loss supplements, often without any scientific evidence to back them up. By making a licensed non-prescription product available, consumers will have the option of a proven therapy which can support them with their struggle against weight loss. For many, losing weight can become the catalyst to improvements in their overall health and self-esteem.”

Alli is a half-dose version of Roche’s prescription medicine Xenical and works by reducing the amount of fat the body absorbs from food.

Undigested fat is eliminated through bowel movements, which can cause side effects such as gas and oily discharge. Glaxo stresses that alli is no “magic bullet” and requires commitment to a low-fat diet.