Orlistat more commonly known under its market name, Xenical by Roche in most countries (known as Alli by GlaxoSmithKline in the United Kingdom and the United States), is a medication used by people who want to lose weight. It acts by minimizing the intake of fats by the body during food digestion. It is usually taken along with a low-calorie diet to increase its effectiveness and reduce the intensity of its side effects, including diarrhea and abdominal pains.

While being a saturated by-product of the natural pancreatic inhibitor, Lipstatin, orlistat was preferred during the development of an anti-obesity drug thanks to its stability. However, orlistat still has other uses such as the prevention of type 2 diabetes’ onset and high blood pressure, both of which can be caused by weight disorders. Trials and surveys also confirmed the orlistat reduced the probability of obese people contracting diabetes by 40%.

The success rate and effectiveness of an orlistat-based treatment to treat obesity and lose weight is definite even though while the progress may be regular, it is however modest. Data obtained from clinical surveys and trials confirmed that people that take orlistat along with conventional weight loss methods (special diets and exercises) for a period of 12 months lose 3 kilograms more than people who use the same conventional methods without taking the drug. , though modest. Pooled data from clinical trials suggest that people given orlistat.

Orlistat is often criticized for its side effects (mostly gastrointestinal treatment effects) that basically consist diarrhea and abdominal pains. While these may be a problem at first, they are the only noticeable side effects of orlistat and usually don’t last long. It is available without prescription in the United States, the European Union, and Australia. Also generic versions of orlistat are commonly sold in India.