Dec 2007

Orlistat, sibutramine and rimonabant lead to modest but statistically significant weight loss during long-term therapy and each has a distinctive range of side effects that need to be considered in prescribing decisions, an updated meta-analysis has concluded.

The analysis included 30 trials published between 2002 and 2006. There were 16 on orlistat (a gastrointestinal lipase inhibitor that reduces fat absorption), 10 on sibutramine (a centrally-acting monoamine reuptake inhibitor), and four on rimonabant (an endocannabinoid receptor antagonist).

In total, almost 20,000 patients were enrolled in the studies, all of which lasted for at least one year.