Weight-loss drug orlistat to be available soon

gets final OTC permission
22 Jan 09

By Lilian Anekwe

The European Commission has granted permission for the 60mg dose of the weight-loss drug orlistat to go on sale over the counter in pharmacies.

Orlistat will be available to all adults with a BMI of 28 kg/m2 or more, under the brand name alli.

The drug’s manufacturer, GSK, said it would run a ‘comprehensive training programme’ to help pharmacy staff provide appropriate advice and support.

Dr Ian Campbell, medical director of the charity Weight Concern and a GP in Nottingham, said: ‘It can work, the risks are minimal, but I don't want to see the public being exploited. They have got to use it with knowledge.

‘This plays a part in the a weight management regime - but lifestyle changes in terms of eating a better diet must come first and last.’


But Professor Alan Maryon-Davis, president of the Faculty of Public Health, said: 'My worry is that a lot of people will take these pills without proper advice and support about dieting and exercise.

'It's all too easy to pop a pill instead of making the lifestyle changes we need to keep our weight under control. This will only work if pharmacists can spend a lot of time giving ongoing advice.' more

Dementia drug threat to life

Experts have condemned the commonplace prescribing of sedatives to people in the UK with dementia.
It comes as a three-year study published in The Lancet Neurology reports a doubling of the risk of early death in those on the drugs long-term.
As many as 100,000 people in UK care homes with dementia are routinely prescribed anti-psychotic drugs for aggressiveness or agitation.
Ministers said they were reviewing the use of the drugs in dementia care.
Current guidelines state that anti-psychotics can be given to patients who are severely agitated or violent for short periods of time.
However, figures suggest the drugs are overused and are given for an average of one to two years.
Warnings
The latest research is not the first time the dangers of anti-psychotics in dementia patients have been reported. more from BBC

Documentary on Orgasm During Childbirth

Some Women Report Having An Orgasm During Childbirth



First thing next month (Friday January 2) will be the primetime debut of a film that has been making the "under the radar" rounds of women and film festivals since May. ABC's 20/20 will air the documentary "Orgasmic Birth", by Debra Pascali-Bonaro, a childbirth educator and a doula, which asks the question: What would happen if women were taught to enjoy birth rather than endure it?

Some women will see this film as a declaration of emancipation from the medicalization of childbirth. Others will see it as yet one more way to raise expectations and make new mothers feel inadequate if they do not experience the "ideal" birth. more

Feed a fever, say researchers

'Keep off dieting' to avoid flu



Dieting at this time of year could impair your body's ability to fight the flu virus, a study warns.
US researchers found mice who were put on a calorie-controlled diet found it harder to tackle the infection than those on a normal diet.
The findings, published in the Journal of Nutrition, suggest that contrary to the old adage "starve a fever", those with a temperature should eat well.
Flu cases in England and Wales are currently approaching a nine-year high.
Killer cells need food
The team at Michigan State University found even though the mice on the lower calorie diet received adequate amounts of vitamins and minerals, their bodies were still not able to produce the amount of killer cells needed to fight an infection. more