The Pharmaceutical Journal
Vol 269 No 7213 p271
31 August 2002

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Orlistat plus changes in lifestyle delays onset of type 2 diabetes in obese patients

ORLISTAT (Xenical) in combination with lifestyle changes reduces the risk of obese patients developing type 2 diabetes, researchers report.

The results come from the Xenical in the prevention of diabetes in obese subjects (XENDOS) study in which Swedish researchers randomly assigned 3,304 patients, aged between 30 and 60 years and with a body mass index of >=30kg/m², to receive either orlistat 120mg or placebo three times daily plus a balanced hypocaloric diet, for four years. All subjects were encouraged to take daily exercise.

The researchers found that patients taking orlistat were 37 per cent less likely to develop type 2 diabetes than those losing weight by lifestyle change, alone. Mean weight loss was significantly greater in patients treated with orlistat at one year and remained significantly greater at the end of the four-year study. After four years of treatment, a 10 per cent reduction in body weight was seen in 26 per cent of patients treated with orlistat compared with 16 per cent of patients taking placebo. Roche, the manufacturer of orlistat says that a weight loss of 5 to 10 per cent has been shown to have "clear health benefits".

Sustained improvements in cardiovascular risk factors, such as blood pressure and lipid profile, were also found in patients taking orlistat. The researchers conclude that the study confirms the safety and efficacy of orlistat treatment for up to four years.

Data from the trial were presented at the International Congress of Obesity, held in São Paolo, Brazil, this week.