Diet Pill May Help Obese Teens

Expert Explains Orlistat Study Findings

(CBS)  A new study shows a drug that decreases fat absorption appears to help obese adolescents manage their weight, when it's used in conjunction with diet, exercise and behavioral therapy.

The drug, called Orlistat, is also known as Xenical, says Dr. Lou Aronne, the director of the Comprehensive Weight Control program at the Weill Cornell Medical Center.

He points out that, when diet and exercise alone aren't enough, Orlistat can be tried along with other methods to see if it helps. Orlistat has been shown to be effective for as long as four years in adults.

The study, which appears in the Journal of the American Medical Association, is the largest to date in adolescents to apear to show significant weight loss in a safe drug that's well-tolerated.

"(Orlistat) blocks the absorption of fat, so fat passes through the intestine," Aronne explains on The Early Show. "You lose one-third of the calories you consume as fat."

"In this study, the teens involved were heavier than 98 percent of the teenagers in the country," Aronne explains. "These were children who are at very high-risk for developing diabetes and other complications that we associate with obesity."

"The average teen lost about seven pounds compared to teenagers on a placebo," Aronne says. "The important point is that both groups were doing the diet and exercise program as well.

"It's appropriate if a teenager who is at risk for medical problems is making an effort to lose, they're doing everything they can, but they're not making progress. If that's the case, then medication may be of value."

And this is an area that needs addressing, Aronne stresses: "One of the problems with teenagers is that they're at such high risk over their lifetime for the health complications. So it's really more important for teenagers to be watching their weight, and yet, we've made very little effort on teen-age obesity.

What are some warning signs? "If the teenager is gaining more and more weight, if they're feeling short of breath, if they're having any kind of a problem with functioning, that's when they should see their doctor."

Teenagers' eating habits are much worse today than yesteryear, Aronne notes: "The evidence is that we're eating more and eating more sugar, starch, and fat, and we're not exercising enough," he notes.

Editor's note: The story that originally appeared on CBSNews.com incorrectly identified the drug being reported on as Acomplia, also known as Rimonabant. We regret the error. This corrected version was posted on June 24, 2005.