Weight loss pill could become "dangerous option"

Krysten A. Jones
Opinion Editor

   Imagine taking a pill just once a day and being able to shed all those unwanted pounds without any strict diets or trips to the gym. Sure, it sounds like a dream, but if the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) is successful, it will soon become a reality.
   An FDA panel recommended Jan. 23 the approval of over-the-counter sales of a weight loss pill that is currently only sold with a prescription. While final FDA approval still needs to be obtained before the non-prescription pill can be sold, this recommendation makes it one step closer. The panel voted 11-3 for approval, with the FDA generally following the recommendations of its panels.
   Xenical, the prescription form of the weight loss wonder pill, was approved by the FDA in 1999 and began to be manufactured by Roche Pharmaceuticals. The final approval will allow GlaxoSmithKline Consumer health care to market the non-prescription version, called Orlistat, allowing everyone and anyone to obtain it.
   Xenical works to block the absorption of dietary fat, allowing it to pass through the digestive tract. According to Roche, the pill should be taken with meals in addition to following a mildly-reduced calorie diet. In clinical trials, obese people using Xenical lost an average of 5.3 to 6.2 pounds more than those not taking the pill.
   Under the supervision of a trained professional, Xenical is a very viable option for weight loss. The second you remove this supervision of the drug, it becomes a dangerous option in many individuals' hands.
   Xenical must be used with a doctor's supervision and should only be used by obese individuals to alleviate health concerns. Their excess weight contributes to increased health risks, including high blood pressure, high cholesterol, heart disease and diabetes. Xenical can effectively limit these risks.
   Xenical is only recommended for individuals at least 30 percent above ideal weight or with a body mass index of 30 or greater. It is occasionally used for individuals at 20 percent above ideal weight or with a body mass index of 27 or greater, if they also have other risk factors such as high blood pressure, high cholesterol, heart disease or diabetes.
   These weight guidelines will be thrown out once the non-prescription form of the pill is allowed on the market. Rapid weight loss is also dangerous for individuals with bulimia or anorexia and can be life threatening. These people already have negative body images and eating habits; providing them with easy access to a pill that will promote this lifestyle is ridiculous.
   GlaxoSmithKline even admits that it only wants people to use the product for no more than six months at a time, but as an over-the-counter drug, there is no way to monitor people's use.

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