An anti-obesity pill helps patients achieve a rapid and sustained weight loss, according to research.
A 12-month study designed to assess the effectiveness of the drug Xenical followed 430 overweight men and women who had proved responsive to treatment.
They all lost 5kg (11lbs) after three months of taking the drug and had maintained this after a further three months.
Xenical works by preventing dietary fat from being absorbed by about 30 per cent, and is licensed for weight management in 149 countries worldwide.
The greatest weight loss occurred in the first four weeks, when patients typically lost 4.1kg (9lbs).
After three months 75 per cent of patients had lost an average of 8kg (17.5lbs) which amounted to about five per cent weight loss.
By the sixth month, 92 per cent of these patients had maintained this weight loss
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