Hope for Losing Weight

For one thing, by blocking the absorption of fat, the drug also interferes with the absorption of vitamins A, D, E and K, as well as beta-carotene -- all of which are fat-soluble. For another, Orlistat is known for producing side effects such as flatulence, bloating and, most famously, what is euphemistically referred to as "anal leakage."

Lovely.

Even so, some folks might think it's worth the price. After all, what's a little bad timing in the bathroom-behavior department compared to the ability to zap those last 10-20 (or more) pounds, once and for all?

Well number one, the drug was approved only for "seriously overweight" people -- those who meet the government's "over 30 percent overweight" standard for obesity or those who have diabetes, hypertension and high cholesterol in addition to being 20 percent overweight. We can be pretty sure that that recommendation won't keep doctors from prescribing it for people who don't fit that profile, just as they did with phen-fen. Number two, even in trials the results were pretty underwhelming: In one study, there was only a four percent difference in body weight between the group taking the placebo and the group taking the drug. And in an experiment reported in the January JAMA (Journal of the American Medical Association), many people who were taking Orlistat began to gain weight back after a year, even while continuing to take the drug.