Reply to comment

BJS,

I've commented on the likelihood of success for an OTC lipase blocker previously....I think people will try it, indeed, a lot of people will try it. However few will stay on the drug because of the side effects. Following is a light-hearted, yet thus-far witheringly accurate commentary I posted on the Yahoo ARNA message board roughly a couple of years ago:

There's no question Xenical can effectively block fat absorption and lead to modest weight loss with long term use. The "but", however (note that I manfully resisted the extra "t"), is that the fat which isn't absorbed passes into the large intestine, where much of it, but not all of it, is cheerfully utilized by bacteria. The bacteria, in turn, make lots of gas. The end result of all this (har) is a lot of gas that smells like spoiled meat. Regular Xenical users are not welcome around the watercooler at work. Now, the stinky gas problem can be ameliorated somewhat with strict adherence to a very low fat diet, but if the patient could do that in the first place, they wouldn't need Xenical. So while there's no doubt OTC Xenical will eventually have some market share, it will be a small, outdoors market share......

RE42