When taken with meals, orlistat blocks the absorption of about one-quarter of any fat consumed. A previous study showed a progressive weight gain in patients after they discontinued use of orlistat, she said. The proposed over-the-counter orlistat pill, called diet loss pill weight xenical alli (pronounced ally), would contain half the dose of the prescription capsule. Those Diet loss pill weight xenical numbers could mean at least $1. 5 billion a year in retail sales. About half of patients in trials experienced such side effects, the company said. We know that being overweight has many adverse consequences, including an increase in the risk of heart disease and type 2 diabetes, said Dr. The drug also Diet loss pill weight xenical could cause problems for organ transplant patients taking the drug cyclosporine as well as those on warfarin, a blood thinner. GlaxoSmithKline Consumer Healthcare still needs final Food and Drug Administration diet loss pill weight xenical approval before it can sell a nonprescription version of orlistat, a diet pill already marketed in prescription form as Xenical. The agency usually follows the recommendations of Diet loss pill weight xenical its outside panels of experts, but its final decision could take months. Douglas Throckmorton, deputy director for the FDA’s Center for Drug Evaluation and Research. The company estimated 5 million to 6 million Americans a year would buy the drug over the counter. Xenical, the prescription version, is made by Roche Holding AG. The company estimated 5 diet loss pill weight xenical million to 6 million Americans a year would buy the drug if offered over the counter. When taken with meals, orlistat blocks the absorption of about one-quarter of diet loss pill weight xenical any fat consumed. The price has not been set but is expected to run $1 to $2 a day, company officials said. Roche will continue selling Diet loss pill weight xenical xenical regardless. Orlistat is a tool that will help people control their calorie intake and modify their diet, said John Dent, the pharmaceutical company’s senior vice president of research and development.