Miracle diet pill alli sold to slim women by chemists

From the Times (UK):
High street chemists are selling a new over-the-counter diet pill to women who do not have weight problems, a report has claimed.

During an investigation into the fat-busting drug alli, Which?, the consumer magazine, found that half of independent pharmacies approved the sale to researchers who did not need it.

Trials have showed that adding alli to a reduced-calorie, lower-fat diet can help people to lose 50 per cent more fat than by dieting alone. Alli aids weight loss by blocking absorption of fat from food into the body. However, licensing conditions for the tablets, manufactured by GlaxoSmithKline, stipulate the drug should only be sold to overweight people with a body mass index (BMI) of 28 or above.

Two weeks after the pill went on sale in May in chemists’ shops, Which? sent seven undercover researchers to 32 outlets, including small chains and retailers such as Boots and Lloyds. ...more