Healthy Skepticism Library item: 2606

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Publication type: news

Wheldon J.
Fears over the fatbuster free-for-all
The Daily Mail (UK) 2005 Sep 29
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/pages/live/articles/health/healthmain.html?in_article_id=363808&in_page_id=1774&in_a_source=

Keywords:
orlistat Xenical weight-loss

Notes:

Ralph Faggotter’s Comments:
Clinical trials on the effectiveness of weight loss drugs are always much more impressive than the results in the real world, partly because of the attention the participants receive from the investigators during the course of the trial.
But what happens when the trial is over?
Reality kicks in and the weight piles back on.
Why?
Because the patient who takes the drugs has adopted a passive stance in relation to their health and abdicated responsibility for their personal behaviour.
By taking the drug they learn nothing about taking control of their life.
All they learn on Xenical is that if they eat too much they will get fatty diarrhoea!

Full text:

Fears over the fatbuster free-for-all
by JULIE WHELDON, Daily Mail

09:52am 29th September 2005

Those classed as obese can get new drug

A powerful obesity drug has been made available over the counter.
Patients wanting to lose weight using Xenical previously needed a
doctor’s prescription. But now they can simply go to Boots.

GPs expressed serious concerns about the scheme yesterday, warning that
pharmacists would not have necessary information on patients.

Xenical, also known as Orlistat, inhibits the absorption of fat in the
intestine so the body excretes it instead. Users must stick to a low-fat
diet, or face unpleasant side effects, including loss of bowel control.

As a prescription-only drug it is usually given out by doctors.

The National Obesity Forum advises that only those who have tried for
three months to lose weight through changing their lifestyle should
receive the drug.

Weight loss programme

Now patients will be able to sign up for it at around 100 branches of
Boots across the country. They will have to enrol in the company’s
weight loss programme, which costs £10 a week. They must also be classed
as obese – defined as a body mass index of 30 more.

As well as being able to get Xenical, they will also be advised on
nutrition and how to increase their activity levels.

Boots said patients’ blood pressure and glucose levels would be measured
before they receive the medication.

It said a pilot scheme in Manchester had been a success, with customers
typically losing 6.5 per cent of their body weight over three months,
increasing to 13.4 per cent after nine months.

Steve Churton, assistant pharmaceutical superintendent at Boots said:
“People often don’t like going to their GPs about weight loss. By having
this programme available through consultation with a pharmacist we are
making it more accessible for those who want to try this effective
approach to losing weight.”

GP concerns

Dr Jim Kennedy, chairman of the Royal College of GPs prescribing
committee, said he welcomed the wider use of pharmacists and but had
‘substantial concerns’ about the Boots scheme.

“We have particular concerns about the treatment of conditions such as
obesity with drugs because it has to be a very holistic approach and
drugs would be only one very minor part of that,” he said.

“We would be worried about how the pharmacists would know about the
background of the patient and how they would stop people being able to
get two or three times the normal amount by simply going to several
stores.”

A Boots spokesman said the Healthcare Commission had licensed the
company as a private medical agency, which means its pharmacists can
dispense some prescription medicines.

A Boots spokesman said pharmacists would take a detailed medical history
of customers during an initial 45-minute consultation.

This would be posted to the customer’s GP to update their medical
records.

She said the company’s computerised prescription system would prevent
customers obtaining more than one prescription from different branches.