The Sun : £1 super-diet pill on way to UK

A DIET pill that can boost weight loss by 50 per cent may soon be sold in Britain.

The drug — called Alli — costs just £1 a day.

It was approved by watchdogs last night and may be available over the counter to over-18s within months if given the final nod from the European Commission.

The pill, currently used by millions in the US as part of a calorie-controlled diet, works by stopping about 25 per cent of food fat being absorbed into the body. Medics say it is safe as it operates in the gut so a minimal amount of the active ingredient gets into the blood.

Dr David Haslam, of the National Obesity Forum, said: “This is more than just another weight-loss product. It is genuine and effective.”

Makers GlaxoSmithKline added: “With two-thirds of UK men and half of women overweight, we are thrilled the Committee for Medicinal Products for Human Use has proposed approval.”

But Bristol Uni Prof Gareth Williams said: “It perpetuates the myth that obesity can be fixed by popping a pill.”

Diet-drug fraud case deliberations continue

COVINGTON, Ky. -- A federal jury adjourned yesterday without reaching a verdict during a day of deliberations on whether three Kentucky lawyers defrauded clients of millions of dollars in a lawsuit over the diet drug fen-phen.
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Jurors are scheduled to return today to continue considering whether lawyers William Gallion, Shirley Cunningham Jr. and Melbourne Mills Jr. conspired to commit fraud. Deliberations follow nearly seven weeks of testimony over allegations that the lawyers enriched themselves at the expense of their clients from a $200 million settlement with the manufacturer of the drug that has been linked to heart damage.
The 431 clients got $74 million -- about $65 million less than they should have under the contract with the lawyers, according to the government's case. Fen-phen was pulled from the market in 1997.
Jurors began deliberating about 9:30 a.m. yesterday after hearing a full day of closing arguments Monday. They made several requests for supplies or information during the first day of deliberations.
Early on they asked for a blank "flip chart," tape and a calculator, which the court supplied. Later they asked for a transcript of a deposition, or sworn statement, given by lawyer Stan Chesley -- who stepped in on the case to help negotiate a settlement -- in a separate civil lawsuit over the case.
After conferring with prosecutors and defense lawyers, U.S. District Judge William O. Bertelsman agreed to provide a videotape of Chesley's 2½-day deposition because only it -- not the transcript -- had been placed into evidence.
Jurors didn't say why they wanted the deposition, but defense lawyers had argued there were inconsistencies between it and Chesley's testimony at the criminal trial.

Health Sciences Authority (HSA) : Adulterated diet drug causes adverse reactions

• HSA advises consumers who have been taking this
  particular product to stop taking it immediately and to
  discard it. -- PHOTO: HSA

Two persons were hospitalised after taking the product which contains Sibutramine, an undeclared potent substance.

THE Health Sciences Authority (HSA) has detected an undeclared potent substance in a 'dietary supplement' which is sold over the internet, after two persons here developed serious adverse reactions after taking it.

The two, a man and woman in their early 20s, suffered symptoms of psychosis including hearing voices, hallucinations, confusion, anxiety and raised heart rate. They were hospitalised but had been discharged.

HSA found the adulterant 'Sibutramine' in a product marketed as, and claiming to be 'Relacore'. The two patients said they had bought it over the Internet.
Sibutramine, an undeclared western drug ingredient, can cause severe adverse reactions, including symptoms of psychosis, hallucinations, confusion, anxiety, increases in blood pressure and heart rate. It is a prescription drug used as an appetite suppressant to combat obesity.
HSA said in a statement on Wednesday that it should only be used under proper medical supervision.vPatients with heart problems, in particular, should not take it.
HSA advises consumers who have been taking this particular product to stop taking it immediately and to discard it. If they experience any adverse reactions or feel unwell, they should consult their doctors immediately.

The product taken by the two patients is promoted and sold over the Internet as a 'dietary supplement' which contains a 'stress mitigating compound' for 'belly fat and stress control,' said HSA, adding that the packaging of the product does not match fully with that of the Relacore that is sold over some Internet sites.

HSA is trying to establish if the product taken by the two patients could be a counterfeit version of the product 'Relacore'.
Said Ms Chan Cheng Leng, Assistant Director, Pharmacovigilance at HSA: 'This case clearly shows that pills sold over the Internet are often from a variety of sources and many are dubious.'
Given the borderless nature of the Internet and the ease with which this product could be bought and sold in different countries around the world, HSA has alerted its international network of enforcement counterparts to be on a lookout for the adulterated product and where appropriate, to act against websites selling this product within their respective jurisdictions.
HSA advises consumers to buy from licensed sources such as registered clinics and approved pharmacies. When in doubt, they should consult a doctor or pharmacist prior to self-medication.

They can also refer to the HSA advisory guide at : http://www.hsa.gov.sg/online_purchase_guide.pdf