Diet drug duke-out

When you're a pharmaceutical company hoping to turn a profit on a controversial product, your work never stops, it would appear. Although, I suppose that's true of any pharmaceutical company nowadays... GlaxoSmithKline, marketers of the over-the-counter weight-loss drug alli, which we linkurl:profiled;http://www.nj.com/news/index.ssf/2008/06/consumers_face_a_bewildering_a.html in last month's issue, is asking the FDA to force weight-loss supplement sellers to conduct clinical trials

| 1 min read

Register for free to listen to this article
Listen with Speechify
0:00
1:00
Share
When you're a pharmaceutical company hoping to turn a profit on a controversial product, your work never stops, it would appear. Although, I suppose that's true of any pharmaceutical company nowadays... GlaxoSmithKline, marketers of the over-the-counter weight-loss drug alli, which we linkurl:profiled;http://www.nj.com/news/index.ssf/2008/06/consumers_face_a_bewildering_a.html in last month's issue, is asking the FDA to force weight-loss supplement sellers to conduct clinical trials on their products. With fewer supplements on the market, GSK would face significantly less competition for its product, which the company hopes to turn into a blockbuster. Alli is the only linkurl:weight-loss;http://www.the-scientist.com/article/display/54033/ pharmaceutical available without a prescription. It's a lower-dose of Xenical, a prescription-only drug sold by Roche. It works by blocking the absorption of fat in the intestine. GSK licensed alli from Roche, then moved it into over-the-counter status. Americans currently spend approximately $2 billion on nonprescription dietary supplements aimed at weight loss. GSK filed its petition with the American Dietetic Association and two other health groups that receive financial support from the pharmaceutical company, according to the New Jersey Star-Ledger. The petition argues that consumers will think of supplements that help with weight loss as drugs that treat and prevent unhealthy conditions, and the products should therefore be treated like drugs.
Interested in reading more?

Become a Member of

The Scientist Logo
Receive full access to more than 35 years of archives, as well as TS Digest, digital editions of The Scientist, feature stories, and much more!
Already a member? Login Here

Meet the Author

  • Alison McCook

    This person does not yet have a bio.
Share
TS Digest January 2025
January 2025, Issue 1

Why Do Some People Get Drunk Faster Than Others?

Genetics and tolerance shake up how alcohol affects each person, creating a unique cocktail of experiences.

View this Issue
Sex Differences in Neurological Research

Sex Differences in Neurological Research

bit.bio logo
New Frontiers in Vaccine Development

New Frontiers in Vaccine Development

Sino
New Approaches for Decoding Cancer at the Single-Cell Level

New Approaches for Decoding Cancer at the Single-Cell Level

Biotium logo
Learn How 3D Cell Cultures Advance Tissue Regeneration

Organoids as a Tool for Tissue Regeneration Research 

Acro 

Products

Artificial Inc. Logo

Artificial Inc. proof-of-concept data demonstrates platform capabilities with NVIDIA’s BioNeMo

Sapient Logo

Sapient Partners with Alamar Biosciences to Extend Targeted Proteomics Services Using NULISA™ Assays for Cytokines, Chemokines, and Inflammatory Mediators

Bio-Rad Logo

Bio-Rad Extends Range of Vericheck ddPCR Empty-Full Capsid Kits to Optimize AAV Vector Characterization

Scientist holding a blood sample tube labeled Mycoplasma test in front of many other tubes containing patient samples

Accelerating Mycoplasma Testing for Targeted Therapy Development