Taisho Pharmaceutical announced Monday that it will start marketing in April anti-obesity drug orlistat, the first such drug to become available without a prescription in Japan.
The drug, which will be available from April 8 under the brand name Alli, is expected to reduce fat stored around internal organs and prevent obesity-related diseases. It is intended for overweight people age 18 or older with a waist circumference of 85 centimeters for men and 90 cm for women.
Taisho Pharmaceutical secured the rights to develop and sell the drug from GlaxoSmithKline in Japan in 2009, and won approval from the health ministry to market it as an over-the-counter drug in February 2023. Alli has been available over the counter in more than 70 countries since it was first approved in the United States in 2007.
Orlistat prevents fat from food from being absorbed into the body by blocking the work of an enzyme called lipase. Lipase breaks down fat in food to be absorbed into the intestines.
A double-blind, randomized clinical trial covering 200 people in Japan has shown that people who took orlistat lost 14.1% of their visceral fat area in 24 weeks; in contrast, those who took a placebo lost 5.78%, according to Taisho Pharmaceutical.
Since Alli suppresses the absorption of fat in the diet, the firm says that users may experience difficulty controlling the release of stool. The firm also notes that flatulence may occur when passing motion and that stool may become oily. It recommends users to wear pads over their underwear, keep a change of underwear ready and go to the toilet immediately when they experience bowel movements.
Though the drug is not due to hit stores for at least another month, Alli has already created a lot of buzz among people looking for ways to lose weight. To prevent nonobese people from abusing the drug, Taisho Pharmaceutical requires people who want to buy the product to receive prior guidance from licensed pharmacists at designated drugstores.
So far, around 26,000 pharmacists at 10,000 drugstores nationwide have undergone Taisho Pharmaceutical’s training so they can sell the product, it said.
Overweight individuals who wish to buy the capsules must start working to change their lifestyle three months before purchase. Then they must log their diet and workouts as well as their weight and waist circumference for a month on a check sheet to present to the pharmacist before buying the product, Taisho spokesperson Tadahiro Haba said.
The drug, to be taken three times a day, will cost ¥2,530 ($17) for 18 capsules (enough for six days) and ¥8,800 for 90 capsules (enough for 30 days).
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