GSK’s Orlistat (Xenical) to be sold over the counter?
On Jan 23, 2006, the FDA advisory committee shall review an application by GlaxoSmithKline (NYSE: GSK) to sell Orlistat (Xenical) in the over-the-counter market. If given the go-ahead, it will be the only FDA-approved weight-loss drug to achieve an over-the-counter status.
This would be a shot in the arm for GSK, which is up against potentially new competition from other drug companies like Sanofi Aventis (NYSE: SNY). SNY’s much-discussed weight-loss drug Acomplia has shown better results during trials.
Currently, Xenical has only one competitor – Meridia from Abbott Labs (NYSE: ABT). While Meridia is an appetite suppressant which deceives the brain, Xenical works in the digestive system to block about one-third of the fat in the food from being digested.
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