All About Alli, the Weight Loss Pill

By now, you have probably seen the commercials or read the direct mail pieces about Alli. They ask if you are ready to commit to a weight loss plan that includes Alli, the over-the-counter version of the FDA-approved fat blocker formerly known as Xenical.

The name has changed -- and the over-the-counter version is one-half the strength of Xenical -- but it's the same drug. And it has some of the same problematic side effects that plagued its prescription-strength predecessor -- gas with oily discharge, inability to control bowel movements, oily or fatty stools, and oily spotting.

Alli  is pronounced "ally" -- as in friend or associate. And as its name suggests, Alli is merely one component of a new weight loss program.

More than just a pill, the Alli program involves a reduced-calorie, low-fat diet, regular walking and toning exercises, and behavioral changes. It comes with a companion book called Are You Losing It? Losing Weight Without Losing Your Mind, along with other weight loss material and online support. The drug's manufacturer, GlaxoSmithKline, is going all out with a splashy marketing plan that includes a museum-style exhibit in Manhattan demonstrating a dieter's experience before and after the addition of Alli.

The pills cost about $1.50 to $2 a day. A 60-count starter kit retails for $49.25 and a 90-count kit costs $62.99 at www.drugstore.com. GlaxoSmithKline is working with state insurers to get some of the costs covered by insurance.

A Magic Bullet?

If you take Alli and follow a sensible low-fat diet and exercise, you will lose 50% more weight than you would with diet and exercise alone. Instead of losing 10 pounds, a person who takes Alli will lose 15 pounds.

"It's an exciting new tool and widely available, but to think this is the only thing or some magic quick fix is wrong," says Gary Foster, MD, director of the Center of Obesity Research and Education at Temple University in Philadelphia, who helped develop the Alli program. "For the same amount of effort [as with a traditional diet and exercise plans], you get 50% more weight loss. It makes it easier, not effortless," he tells WebMD.

"Alli is an add-on," says George Blackburn, MD, PhD, director of the Center for the Study of Nutrition Medicine at the Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center in Boston. "You have to have a good lifestyle with diet and exercise."

GlaxoSmithKline even makes the point on its web site devoted to the drug that it "only works if you work" and that it is "not a miracle pill or a quick fix."

In the recommended Alli diet, one-third of the calories come from fat, one-third come from protein, and the final third comes from carbs.

"Do the things you need to do to lose weight and see if this won't make it that much more successful," Blackburn tells WebMD.

"It's not about a pill, it's about a program," agrees Valentine Burroughs, MD, MBA, chief medical officer and chairman of the department of medicine at North General Hospital in New York City. Burroughs participated in developing the Alli program.