Xenical

Xenical (orlistat) is a weight loss drug manufactured by Roche.

Marketing Weight Loss
"One of the things medical people really know about is clever advertising and one of the really clever tricks of the industry is duping the media into running advertising campaigns absolutely free of charge," writes Media Watch of Australia as it deconstructed the "Healthy Weight Task Force," a front group set up by the Burson-Marsteller PR firm in Australia to promote sales of Xenical diet pills.

The Australian government's drug regulator has revoked Roche's permission to advertise its weight-loss drug, Xenical. It was originally approved as a prescription-only drug for those rating over 30 on the Body Mass Index (BMI), or 27 if other health conditions were present. Xenical was later approved for over-the-counter sale, prompting Roche to launch a direct-to-consumer advertising campaign. In December, the Australian Consumer Association sent a woman who was under 25 on the BMI to 30 Sydney pharmacies to request the drug. Twenty-four sold it to her, even though the medical guidelines stated it wasn't appropriate for her. Subsequently, a committee that advises the Australian government's drug regulator, found that "there was insufficient public health benefit" from allowing further advertising. However, instead of reinstating Xenical's status as a prescription drug, the committee allowed continued over-the-counter sales.

Obesity task Force
Ray Moynihan reported in the British Medical Journal that the drug companies Roche and Abbott Laboratories provide approximately two-thirds of the funding of the International Obesity Task Force (IOTF), which has over £1m in cash reserves. Roche makes the anti-obesity drug Xenical while Abbott Laboratories makes Reductil. Dr. William Dietz, a senior member of IOTF and "well respected authority on obesity" from the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, is also a member of a U.S.-based committee reviewing definitions of childhood overweight and obesity. Dietz, Moynihan writes, is "one of the driving forces" behind the redefinition of obesity "which some researchers believe may exaggerate the problem and unnecessarily label children as diseased." Dietz declined to comment to the journal.

Related SourceWatch Articles

 * Drug industry
 * Obesity PR
 * Roche Supplies Xenical Weight Loss Drug to UK Diet Clinic

2007

 * Australian Consumers Association, "Xenical", February 2007.
 * "Choice raises concerns over weight loss drug dispensing", ABC News, February 7, 2007.
 * Helen Hopkins, "Misuse is why drugs are controlled by prescription", The Australian, February 10, 2007.
 * Clair Weaver, "Pharmacies giving obesity drug to slim buyers", The Sunday Telegraph, February 18, 2007.
 * Chantal Rumble, "Weight-loss pill gets heavied", The Age, February 23, 2007.
 * Madeleine Brettingham, "Doctor sues for unfair dismissal claiming Roche feared she would blow the whistle", British Medical Journal, February 25, 2006. (Sub req'd until Feb 2007)
 * Madeleine Brettingham, "Roche denies claims it sacked employee for "whistle blowing"", British Medical Journal, May 20, 2006. (Sub req'd until May 2007)
 * Julie Robotham, "Weighing up obesity drugs", Sydney Morning Herald, September 9, 2006.
 * Ruth Pollard, "Weight-loss medication under review", Sydney Morning Herald, January 16 2007.
 * Therapuetic Goods Administration National Drugs and Poisons Schedule Committee, "Scheduling of orlistat", Media release, February 22, 2007.
 * Julian Lee, "Regulator halts ads for weight loss drug", Sydney Morning Herald, February 27, 2007.
 * Adam Cresswell, "Weight-loss pill maker slams ad ban", The Australian, February 26, 2007.

2008

 * Andrew Jack, "Orders failed to match client levels", Financial Times, February 12 2008.
 * Andrew Jack, "Roche to face probe over sales of slimming pill", Financial Times, February 25 2008.
 * Association of the British Pharmaceutical Industry, "Company Suspended From ABPI Membership Over Breaches Of Code Of Practice", Media Release, July 14, 2008.