Cart Alli Weight-Loss Pill Linked to Liver Damage
In 2009, the weight-loss capsule Alli reached the peak of its fame. Alli has been shown to block fat absorption and could be purchased without a prescription, so people were flocking to the stores to buy bottles and bottles of the so-called miracle drug. However, now recent medical studies are showing that this pill may cause liver damage in users.
Orlistat is the main ingredient in the Alli weight-loss formula and many people who consume Orlistat regularly have already reported medical problems. Since the release of Alli only a few months ago, in April of 2009, the drug regulatory agency in the UK has already received more than 30 reports of adverse effects in people using orlistat based products. However, Alli and Xenical, another popular weight-loss supplement which is only available by prescription, both share this common ingredient and a definite conclusion has not been made as to which drug is truly the guilty party, or if both drugs share the guilt.
Since Xenical was launched in 2001 24 consumers have dies due to liver failure, heart attack, multi-organ failure, lung clots or gall bladder inflammation. In five of these deaths the actual cause was not even clear. In total, more than 1250 reports indicating Xenical as the as the cause of serious side effects have surfaced. 100 of these reports indicated liver related problems.
The day Alli was launched in the UK, it instantly sold out. Because it does not require the prescription, even men and women who were relatively good health and did not have a Body Mass Index over 28, as the drug is intended for, were taking this pill. Now, the FDA is considering limiting even Alli to prescription use only.
GSK, the manufacturer of Alli has claimed that the safety of their consumers is the most important to them and it has already supplied all required information to both the FDA and the Regulatory Agency in the UK. GSK has also said that millions of people across the US are using Alli and studies on more than 30,000 patients globally. Roche, the manufacturer of Xenical also claims that patient safety is their first priority and affirms that there is no direct link between liver toxicity and their drug Xenical.
