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The Department of Health has approved the ground-breaking weight-loss pill Orlistat.

 But a Hong Kong spokesman for the manufacturer said the pills would not be launched for a few months and sold as a prescription drug only.

 Orlistat is manufactured by Hoffmann-La Roche and marketed as Xenical.

 The pills can block absorption of fats by a third. Clinical studies showed patients using the pills for six to eight months would lose one-tenth of their weight.

 But slimmers taking the weight-loss pills face embarrassing side-effects, including flatulence and even incontinence, an expert has warned.

 Associate professor of pharmacy at the Chinese University Kenneth Lee Kwing-chin said Xenical was the first slimming medicine using an 'enzyme inhibitor' theory.

 Lipase, an enzyme produced by the pancreas, breaks fats into small pieces for human absorption. Xenical is able to suppress the production of lipase to block fat absorption.

 Professor Lee said the side-effects would be quite embarrassing but the problems would phase out gradually.

 The Department of Health decided to place the drug under the 'prescription-only' category but a grace period has been given before legislative procedures can be completed in a few months.

 It means patients can obtain the pills without prescription from doctors, hospitals and drug stores supervised by pharmacists.

 A department spokesman said yesterday: 'It is a rather new product. We will make it a prescription drug so we can monitor the situation closely.

 'We believe the potential for abuse is relatively low, and there is no evidence to show the pills will have serious side effects.'  Professor Lee added: 'New drug products may have side-effects not shown in preliminary clinical studies. People should be cautious and they should not take drugs to reduce weight unnecessarily.'  Medical experts at the Chinese University and University of Hong Kong will soon begin clinical trials of the pills.



Fat-blocking slimming pills win approval