Oily Discharge Doesn't Discourage Diet Drug Buyers

The diet drug Alli, manufactured by GlaxoSmithKline and recently approved by the FDA, hit the market last week, and pharmacies report that the pills are selling like hotcakes.

Interestingly, Alli sellers say the drug's biggest buyers are skinny women, who apparently feel that preventing a quarter of their already-moderate daily fat intake from being absorbed outweighs Alli's potentially embarrassing risks:

... it can also result in what the manufacturer describes as loose stools and gas with an oily discharge. "It's probably a smart idea to wear dark pants, and bring a change of clothes with you to work," the drug's official Web site says. (The drug maker's literature and Web site say side effects can be minimized with a low-fat, reduced-calorie diet.)

Granted, that's better than the risks of Acomplia, the diet rejected by an FDA advisory panel for making people severely depressed. (Best blogosphere take, from the Women's Bioethics Blog: ""If smoking marijuana makes you feel euphoric because THC stimulates the cannabinoid receptors of the brain, can you imagine how dysphoric a cannabinoid receptor antagonist like Acomplia could make you feel?")

But still -- "Oily discharge"? "Bring a change of clothes"? Why not just eat one-fourth less fat than you already do?

New diet drug touches off a feeding frenzy [Los Angeles Times]

Related Wired coverage here, here and here.