4M people tried diet drug since food material

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Glaxo: 4M people tried diet drug since launch
By CANDICE CHOI – 17 hours ago
NEW YORK (AP) — The only over-the-counter, federally approvedweight loss pill in the U.S. isn't exactly flying off shelves, butit's not because Americans are getting any slimmer.
GlaxoSmithKline said Wednesday that 4 million people have triedalli since the drug hit shelves a year ago. Alli is the onlynonprescription weight loss pill approved by the Food and DrugAdministration.
As a drug that should theoretically trigger huge sales, thepreliminary figures are "pretty underwhelming," said Steve Brozak,an analyst with WBB Securities.
The problem may be that the drug's marketing campaign stresses theneed to transform eating and exercise habits for it to beeffective, Brozak said. That's not easy to accomplish throughadvertising, he said.
Additionally, those willing to make lifestyle changes are likelynot interested in diet pills, Brozak said.
Still, first year sales point to a "healthy business" that can besustained and grown dramatically as new users try the drug, saidJoe Cadle, director of marketing for Glaxo's consumer healthdivision.
"We're the only company with an over the counter product that helpstreat something that affects 140 million people," Cadle said. Hedeclined to say how many repeat users there were for alli.
In its marketing, Glaxo is careful to warn consumers alli is not amagic pill, but an aid for those willing to commit to a healthylifestyle.
The drug comes in "starter kits" containing a food journal, ahealthy-eating guide and a fat and calorie reference guide. A60-capsule kit costs about $50 while a 90-capsule pack costs about$60.
In clinical trials, people using alli lost an additional 2 to 3pounds for every 5 pounds lost through diet and exercise. Whentaken with meals, the drug blocks the absorption of aboutone-quarter of any fat consumed. That fat — about 150 to 200calories worth — is passed out of the body, potentiallyresulting in loose stools.
GlaxoSmithKline is betting alli will become a major moneymaker. Atthe time of the drug's launch, the company estimated it wouldeventually sell between 5 million and 6 million kits annually,translating to at least $1.5 billion in annual retail sales. Thisyear, the company spent $150 million on marketing alli, making itone of the drug maker's biggest campaigns to date.
"As people meet their maintenance goals, they'll share theirsuccess stories and get new people to try it," Cadle said.
Another hurdle for Glaxo will be overcoming consumers' distaste forthe drug's unpleasant side effects, such as leakages and oilydischarges. Marketing material prior to the drug's launch stressedthe importance of keeping meals under 15 grams of fat to avoideffects. Educational pamphlets even recommend people start theprogram when they have a few days off work, or to bring an extrapair of pants to the office.
The warnings turned into fodder for late night comics.
Now Glaxo is focusing on telling people that side effects can beavoided if the drug is used properly.
"They really need to understand the (gastrointestinal) treatmenteffects are not automatic," Cadle said.
In fact, he said the side effects help some users by signaling whenthey're not eating right.
Being upfront about the side effects may provoke jokes in themedia. Yet failing to do so could bring about a backlash fromsurprised consumers, as it did for the prescription version of thedrug Xenical by Roche Holding. That drug contains twice the dosageof alli.
About half of patients in clinical trials for alli experiencedsimilar gastrointestinal side effects.
Labeling indicates alli is appropriate for anybody who isoverweight, or has a body mass index of 25 or higher. Two-thirds ofthe U.S. population is estimated to be overweight or obese. A bodymass index over 30 is considered obese.