Weight & see? Nah! Consumers scarf up new diet pill

Weight-conscious consumers seeking the next big thing to help them go from lumpy to luscious ran out yesterday to buy Alli - the first FDA-approved over-the-counter diet pill.

Alli's promise of helping calorie counters lose 50% more weight than by dieting alone apparently outweighs its warnings that the drug can cause users to lose control of their bowels.

At a Manhattan Duane Reade, Debbie and Renee Boyer, sisters-in-law visiting the city from Virginia, each paid $59.99 for a starter pack of Alli, which works by preventing the body from digesting the fat in food.

Both women said they've been concerned about weight gain since hitting menopause.

"I want to lose 20 pounds, just to feel good about myself," said Debbie Boyer. "I wouldn't mind some mild side effects [from dieting], but I won't go and do liposuction."

Renee Boyer said Alli's FDA seal of approval gave her comfort. "Weight has been something I think about every day since my 30s, after I've had children," she said.

A number of drugstores across the city told the Daily News that they had already sold out of their small allotments of Alli and had received numerous phone calls about its availability.

Distributed by GlaxoSmithKline, Alli is a half-dose of the prescription drug orlistat, which is sold by the trade name Xenical. Alli's Web site warns that the drug's fat-blocking activity can lead to "gas with oily spotting" and "more frequent stools that may be hard to control."

On the off chance that someone finds this disturbing, "The excess fat that passes out of your body is not harmful," the Web site says. "In fact, you may recognize it as something that looks like the oil on top of a pizza."

That sounded just a bit too disgusting to Bronx shopper Carmen Malgieri, 33, a student and homemaker from Morris Park.

"This can't be healthy for you...I wouldn't use it," she said. "Would you really want bloating if you're already fat? What are they going to do, sell you the pill and then sell you Depends on the side?"

While the risk of soiling oneself may certainly sound undesirable, other things could always be worse: Federal health advisers yesterday rejected another weight-loss drug, rimonabant, after hearing testimony that it causes an increased risk of suicidal thoughts.

Source : www.nydailynews.com