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Article: It's not a miracle drug, but Xenical can cut fat.(Family Times)
- Article from:
- The Washington Times (Washington, DC)
- Article date:
- July 4, 1999
- Author:
CopyrightCOPYRIGHT 1999 News World Communications, Inc. This material is published under license from the publisher through the Gale Group, Farmington Hills, Michigan. All inquiries regarding rights should be directed to the Gale Group. (Hide copyright information)
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As long as people are looking for help to lose weight, there will be diet drugs to aid them.
The latest drug, approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration in April, is Xenical, which differs from its predecessors that tricked the brain into thinking the stomach was full.
Instead, Xenical (generic name orlistat) works on the gastrointestinal tract, where it inhibits the absorption of fat by one-third.
"Xenical is a chemical that breaks down dietary fat in the intestine," says Dr. Eric Colman, the FDA scientist in charge of reviewing and testing the drug, which had already been in use in 17 other countries. "If fat is not broken down, ...