FDA Warning!

The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) is warning the public about a counterfeit version of the Alli weight loss drug 60 mg capsules (120 count refill pack) being sold over the Internet, particularly at online auction sites.

The counterfeit diet pill product is illegal and unsafe. FDA advises people who believe that they have a counterfeit product not to use the drug and to dispose of it immediately. There is no evidence at this time that the counterfeit Alli diet pill product has been sold in retail stores.

Photo of authentic Alli

According to the FDA, the counterfeit Alli looks similar to the authentic product, with a few notable differences. The counterfeit Alli diet pill has:
* a missing LOT code on the outer cardboard packaging
* an expiration date that includes a month, day and year (real Alli only has month and year)

Photos of Bottles

* plain foil for the inner safety seal without words on it (real Alli has the words “SEALED FOR YOUR PROTECTION” printed on it)
* large capsules with white powder, as opposed to small white pellets found in real Alli
* a slightly taller plastic bottle with a wider cap and coarser ribbing on cap than is seen in real Alli diet pills.

For more information on this counterfeit drug, please visit the excellent women’s health site at Northwestern University, http://blog.womenshealth.northwestern.edu/2010/01/counterfeit-weight-loss-drug-sold-on-line. We thank the staff at Northwestern for this alert.

What is Alli?

Alli is a lower strength version of orlistat (Xenical). Xenical is a prescription drug that has been developed to treat obesity. Alli has been approved, at this lower strength, for regular over-the-counter sale to people that are 18 or older and overweight. Alli is designed to be a component of a low-calorie- low-fat diet, along with exercise.

Alli may be of help in losing weight, but the impact won’t be that great and maybe just a few pounds more than diet and exercise alone would have accomplished, according to Dr.Hensrud, MD of Mayo Clinic. Just a limited number of studies looked at the effectiveness of Alli. And most of the weight loss estimates that sometimes are attributed to Alli, may have been based on studies that were conducted on its prescription-strength version, Xenical.