Weight loss supplements as entertainment
This article was originally published in The Tan Sheet
Executive Summary
HBO's newly acquired pilot "Fat Sells" takes on the $46 billion weight-loss supplement industry in an attempt to break "wide open" a "world not regulated by the FDA," says Dave Broome, co-creator of the one-hour drama. The pilot will explore body image, self-esteem and power in a culture "obsessed with looks and weight" where "everyone is looking for that Magic Pill," he says in a July 10 release. The announcement comes three months after GlaxoSmithKline, the maker of the alli OTC weight loss medication, filed a citizen petition asking FDA to require pre-market approval for supplements making weight-loss claims ("1The Tan Sheet," May 19, 2008, p. 4). GSK marketing for the product stresses alli is "a program, not a pill," and users must make meaningful diet and lifestyle changes in order for the product to work (2"The Tan Sheet" Feb. 12, 2007, p. 8)...
You may also be interested in...
Industry Ready To Oppose Possible FDA Action On Weight-Loss Petition
FDA likely will not act soon on a controversial petition to consider weight-loss claims by dietary supplements as disease claims, industry stakeholders say
Alli Approved OTC For Weight Loss With “Goal Oriented” Indication
FDA's approved labeling for GlaxoSmithKline's first-in-class nonprescription weight-loss drug alli (orlistat 60 mg) emphasizes a "goal oriented" indication as opposed to a six-month duration of use as originally proposed
New EU Approvals
The Pink Sheet's list of EU centralized approvals of new active substances has been updated to add two new products, including Ryzneuta, Evive Biotechnology's treatment for chemotherapy-induced neutropenia.