Xenical Research Today is a free monthly online journal that collates and summarizes the latest research about Xenical, including details on orlistat, side-effects, obesity, weight loss, dieting.

Incorrect use of orlistat and sibutramine in clinical practice.

Dahlin A, Beermann B

Medical Products Agency, P.O. Box 26, 751 03, Uppsala, Sweden, bjorn.beermann@mpa.se.

OBJECTIVE: To investigate how the antiobesity drugs orlistat and sibutramin are prescribed in relation to the approved indications and the Swedish subsidiary rules. METHODS: Anonymous survey to prescribers of a random sample of 2000 out of 20,000 prescription of orlistat and sibutramin. RESULTS: The response rate was around 65%. About half of the patients were not treated in accordance with the approved indications and a fourth of the patients prescribed sibutramin had one or several contraindications to the drug. The subsidiary rules were not followed in the majority of cases. CONCLUSION: Deviation from the approved indications and subsidiary criteria of orlistat and sibutramin is a question of waste of medical and economic resources. Prescribing of sibutramin to patients with contraindications is a serious health hazard.

Published 19 January 2007 in Eur J Clin Pharmacol, 63(2): 205-9.
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