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.