Orlistat® Xenical action

Orlistat (Xenical) inhibits the action of the enzyme lipase in the intestine, thereby inhibiting the digestion and absorption of fats. This can lead to significant weight loss, but is often accompanied by flatulence, diarrhoea and oily stools. Its clinical application is described in Chapter 8. 

With the solid test meal, the overall level of lipolysis was highly and significantly reduced by the double action of orlistat on the gastric and duodenal lipolysis (28.8% of controls for Xenical pellets, p<0.005 33.4% of controls for micronized orlistat powder in butter, p<0.001 Tab. 10.6). The difference between the two treated groups was not significant. 

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