Lipase inhibitors block the absorption of fat in the intestine by acting on an enzyme that breaks down fat. If fat is not broken down, it will not be absorbed into the blood and will pass through the digestive track to be excreted in the feces.

Presently, the only approved drug in this class is orlistat.

• ORLISTAT

  Tradename(s)	Xenical®, Alli ™
  Company(ies)	Roche and GlaxoSmithKline
  Available doses	120 mg and 60 mg
  Dose per day	with each meal
  Side-effects	gastrointestinal effects
  Eliminatino half-life	1-2 hours
  Metabolism	not metabolized
  US patent status
  US FDA status	approved April 1999
  EMEA status	approved July 1998
  Comments
  Xenical® is approved for for obesity management including weight loss and weight maintenance when used in conjunction with a reduced-calorie diet.
  Comments
  Roche markets the prescription 120 mg tablet under the tradename Xenical® and GlaxoSmithKline markets the 60 mg tablet available over the counter under the tradename Alli™. Roche reported sales of CHF693M in 2006 and CHF623M in 2007. Alli™ received US FDA approval in February 2007 and EMEA approval in July 2007.