Weight loss drugs knows as Alli and Xenical are being reviewed by the FDA over the possible connection to serious liver injuries to patients.
Federal regulators on Monday said they are reviewing 32 cases of serious liver injury in patients who are taking weight-loss drugs promoted by Roche Holding AG (RHHBY) and GlaxoSmithKline Plc (GSK). The U.S. Food and Drug Administration said between 1999 and 2008 it received six reports of liver failure in patients who were taking the weight loss drug orlistat, sold over-the-counter as Alli by GlaxoSmithKline and in prescription form as Xenical by Roche. The FDA’s review is ongoing and there is no definite link between liver injury and the products, the FDA said. The agency isn’t advising physicians to change their prescribing habits, but issued the alert as part of an effort to alert the public quickly when it has concerns about a product. – From WSJ