Warning over counterfeit weight-loss capsules

Consumers are being advised about the dangers of buying medicines from unregulated websites.

27th January 2010 — The discovery of supplies of counterfeit alli, a weight-loss medication, has prompted a consumer warning from The Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA).

The fake capsules were found in the United States, but MHRA says people in the UK could be able to buy them on the internet.

alli is manufactured by GlaxoSmithKline (GSK) and is available over the counter in the UK with the genuine product containing the active ingredient orlistat or commanly known as Xenical.

The Food and Drug Administration in the US has been working with GSK. Laboratory testing of the suspected counterfeit product, 60mg alli capsules (120 capsule refill kit), have revealed it contained sibutramine instead of orlistat.
Europe-wide medication alert

Last week the European Medicines Agency recommended that the licence for sibutramine should be suspended across Europe because evidence suggested it caused a higher risk of non-fatal heart attacks and strokes.

Mick Deats, Head of Enforcement at MHRA, has issued a warning about the dangers of buying medicines from unregulated internet pharmacies. “The trend of self-diagnosing and self-prescribing is potentially dangerous,” Mr Deats says in a statement on the Agency’s website.

He adds that “Buying weight loss medication from unregulated websites is a dangerous way to slim down. You don’t know what you’re taking and your condition is not being monitored by a healthcare professional. It’s just not worth taking that type of risk.”
Checking it’s the genuine article

The MHRA advises consumers to check that the website has a physical address that’s clearly displayed and the green cross logo of the Royal Pharmaceutical Society of Great Britain.

The Agency says counterfeit alli has some obvious differences from the genuine product:

* The fake product has no Lot code on the end flap of the outer packaging.
* The fake medication has a plain foil inner safety seal under the plastic cap, without any printed words – the authentic product seal is marked “sealed for your protection”.
* The counterfeit capsules contain white powder instead of small white pellets.

Furthermore, in the UK the genuine capsules are not available in packs of 120; they’re only available in smaller packs of 42 or 84.
Buy from registered pharmacies: Manufacturer

Emma Boran, a spokeswoman for GSK, sent us a statement saying: “GlaxoSmithKline Consumer Healthcare in the US has identified a small quantity of fake weight loss product, falsely packaged and labelled as alli sold on US online auction websites, such as eBay.com.

“GlaxoSmithKline fully supports the MHRA warning concerning purchasing medicines from unregistered websites. All retail pharmacies in Great Britain, including those providing internet services, must be registered with the Royal Pharmaceutical Society of Great Britain.

“Consumer should only buy alli online from safe and trusted registered pharmacy websites such as those of high street retailers. GSK does not condone illegal sales of alli from websites not authorised to make such sales and recommends that users check the authenticity of the online pharmacy they are looking to purchase alli from.”
The MHRA says anyone with concerns should ask their pharmacist or their GP for advice. Consumers can report any suspected counterfeit alli to the 24-hour MHRA Counterfeit Hotline on 020 7084 2701 or email counterfeit@mhra.gsi.gov.uk.

Reductil Banned as risks outweigh benefits

The European Medicines Agency (EMA) has completed a review of the obesity medicine sibutramine (Reductil) on the basis of new safety information from a large clinical trial, the Sibutramine Cardiovascular OUTcomes (SCOUT) study. The review has found that the cardiovascular risks of sibutramine outweigh its benefits. The EMA’s Committee for Medicinal Products for Human Use (CHMP) has recommended suspension of the marketing authorisation for this medicine across the European Union.

Further information is available on the EMA website.

Pharmacists are now unable to dispense Reductil and Doctors are also unable to write prescriptions for the obesity medication.

If you are looking for some help with losing some weight after the New Year Xenical is still the best option as Xenical is a lipase inhibitor and does not enter the patient's blood stream, but works in the digestive system in the small intestine as a fat absorber. It blocks out a third of the fat in food eaten in a patient's diet, leading to steady weight loss. Buy Xenical online at www.medical-specialists.co.uk

Council to impose 'No Fry Zone' around primary schools in drive against obesity

Lewisham Council is considering adopting the radical proposal of a 1,300ft 'No Fry Zone' around all of its 65 primary schools after it was revealed that one in four 10-year-old children are obese. If agreed by councillors later this month it would mean that no new fast food shops - such as fried chicken shops and burger bars - will be allowed to open within 400m of a school.
So if children want to visit a fast food shop at lunch time they will have to walk over a 800m to get there hands on a fattening lunch - hopefully burning some calories off on the way.
With a distance of just over half a mile, a brisk walk to the nearest takeaway and back to school would take at least 10 minutes.

Councillor Ute Michel, of the Green Party, said the proposal was being put forward to full council later this month. She said: 'Our children's health actually gets far worse rather than better during their time in school. 'Despite making progress in making school meals healthier and teaching about healthy diets, takeaways are fuelling junk food culture just outside the school gate undoing much of that good work.'

She said that council chiefs would also work with existing takeaways - who will not have to close under the proposals - to provide 'healthier options' on their menus.
Adele Greenway, who has two children aged six and nine, said there was still time for a child to walk to a takeaway at break time.

She said: 'It's all very well encouraging children not to eat greasy fried food, but with a lunch break of 50 minutes that gives them plenty of time to nip to the kebab shop for a burger and chips even if it's 10 minutes there and back.
'At least the kids will be getting some exercise and burning off the calories, but they'll still be eating lord knows how many calories.'

Takeaway shop worker Khalid Mohammed said the scheme wouldn't stop kids getting their hands on unhealthy food.
He said: 'Whether they put the no fry zone in place or not doesn't really matter.
'If someone wants chips and a burger or fried chicken they will walk the five minutes it takes to get there. 'All it is is a hassle for them - they'll still make the trip and they'll probably take orders from all their classmates too.'
Waltham Forest Council in East London pioneered the scheme last year after 93 per cent of locals backed the plan.

4 Steps To A New Lifestyle For A Slimmer, Healthier, Happier YOU

So you want to lose weight to look better and feel better. You
are not alone. You have the same desire and need as millions of
others out there want to look better, feel better, live longer
and in general have a better lifestyle once you take off the
extra weight.

That said, if you are one of those who have lost weight, then
put it back on, perhaps a more important question is how to you
keep the weight off once you've lost it. You've tried all the
different diets. You've read all the books about losing 10
pounds before the big graduation, wedding or other big event
coming up this weekend. If you've been through that insanity
before, isn't it time for a change of your lifestyle rather than
another stretch of suffering through another diet and feeling
worse than you did when you started?

So, what are the keys to losing weight?

There are four main elements to losing weight and keeping it off.

1. Following an exercise program. 2. Increasing your metabolism
3. Changing your eating habits 4. Changing your lifestyle


1. Following an exercise program.


Starting a good exercise program is a great idea and one of the
best ways to start changing your health and the way you look.
You will gain three benefits from exercise.

1. You will burn calories during your work out. 2. You will
increase your metabolism to burn more calories even when you are
not working out. 3. You will build muscle that will make you
look taller, leaner and healthier. 4. You will build muscles
that will burn more calories than fat.

Your very first step should be to talk to your doctor about your
health and your goals. It might save your life. Your next step
should be to find a partner who will help you be more
responsible to show up for a work out and to complete the work
out. A work out partner should also make the work out more
enjoyable. If you are not able to find a partner and do not feel
you have the discipline to work out regularly, you may want to
start your exercise program by paying a person personal coach
for training and discipline. Most people need 21 days to make
working out a habit, so hire them for at least the first 21
days. Check with your local YMCA or other gym for partners and
coaches.

However, if you cannot afford to join a gym, don't let that slow
you down. You can still walk or run outside, or workout inside
using video tapes or walk on a treadmill. If you don't have
money for work out tapes, you can rent them from the library.
The bottom line is if you want to work out, you will find a way.
Finally, once you have your workout schedule working for you,
offer to help someone else become disciplined to work out.

Helping others always helps you feel better as well. Give it a
try!

2. Increasing your metabolism.

Plain and simple, exercising will increase your metabolism and
will help you lose weight at all hours of the day, even at night
when you are sleeping! Your metabolism is the amount of calories
you burn during the day. Conversely, your body also has a built
in system for self-survival in case of famine. If you don't eat
enough food, you can also reduce your metabolism and make it
harder to lose weight. We will talk more about that in just a
moment.

3. Changing your eating habits.

You're doing better now, but working out and increasing your
metabolism is only a part of the solution. You still must change
your eating habits. Have you found yourself doing this crazy?
Are you eating a Granola bar for breakfast, a salad for lunch
and then eating chocolate shakes and hamburgers from the drive
through late at night on the way home from the gym? That won't
work! You are starving yourself and lowering your metabolism in
the long run, and eating food late at night that will not get
burned off and only makes you feel more miserable the next day
when you look in the mirror or step on the scale.

Do you know that you are setting up yourself for failure? Your
body is smart... so smart that it knows if you are not giving it
enough food, that there may be a problem, and you start to burn
fewer calories. That will not help you look or feel better in
the long run, so don't try it in the short run.

4. Changing your lifestyle and your mindset.

The final way to change your body and the way you look and feel
is to become more active. Walk the stairs to your office instead
of taking the elevator. Park your car way from the rest of the
cars at the mall so you walk a few extra steps. Go for a walk
when you get home from school or work instead of turning on the
TV or the computer. Ask your friends to join you for a game of
horse in basketball. If that is not an option, take your
basketball to a local park, be brave and ask someone to play a
game of one on one there. They might have been feeling just like
you and will be thankful to have the opportunity to exercise and
perhaps make a new friend.

It's all about changing your attitude one-step and one day at a
time. Just remember you did not gain the weight in one day and
you cannot take it off in one day. It is a series of steps that
will lead to success. Another analogy is that it would be nice
to make one large jump over a mountain, but in reality it takes
many steps to get over the mountain, and it is possible. Most
importantly, you just have to take that first step, starting
right now, by reading this article again and then deciding to
"Just do it!"

Article Source: 4 Steps To A New Lifestyle For A Slimmer, Healthier, Happier
YOU!