Protests To Ban Diet Drug Ally From The Market: Is It Really Justified

Dr. Richard Besser, Senior Health and Medical Editor for ABC News said that the numbers needed to be put into prospective. Saying that although 40 million people have tried the drug, only 13 cases of liver failure, 47 cases of acute pancreatitis and 73 cases of kidney stones have been reported, and there are no studies to show that these conditions were actually caused by taking the weight loss drugs. Dr. Besser also said that the drugs aren’t very effective and over the course of a year one may only lose 5 pounds more than people using diet and exercise alone, but also there are no other weight loss drugs to offer people at this time.
Public Citizen

In a new attempt to eliminate the only FDA-approved class of weight-loss drugs, Public Citizen issued a petition to the U.S. Food and Drug Administration Thursday — its second in five years — calling for the agency to ban the class of drugs called orlistat, better known by the prescription brand names Xenical and Alli.
Potential To Cause Damage

“These drugs have the potential to cause significant damage to multiple critical organs, yet they provide meager benefits in reducing weight loss in obese and overweight patients,” said Dr. Sidney Wolfe, director of Public Citizen’s Health Research Group. An estimated 40 million people worldwide have taken either Xenical or Alli in the last decade. But sales have decreased substantially over the last decade. Alli sales dropped from $145 million in 2007 to $84 million by mid-2010, according to a report released by Public Citizen.
  
Blocking Absorption Of Protein Enzymes

The drugs work by blocking absorption of about a third of certain protein enzymes that enter the body. Instead, the fat passes through the body to the gastrointestinal tract until it is excreted. These medications also block fat-soluble vitamins including vitamins A, B, and K. Some of the more common side effects of Alli or Xenical include diarrhea and stool leakage.