Some unpleasant side effects have done nothing to curb the public's appetite for alli, the first FDA-approved diet drug to go on sale without a prescription. The drug, a weakened version of Xenical, blocks the absorption of about 25 percent of consumed fat, which would eliminate less than 10 percent of the calories eaten in a 3,000 calorie diet. Pharmacists report that most of the buyers are women who aren't overweight and aren't at all put off by GlaxoSmithKline's recommendation that people taking the drug wear dark clothes and bring a change of clothing to work in case of an accident.
- the Los Angeles Times analyzes the sudden craze