Other safety alerts
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| The United Kingdom: Orlistat: theoretical interaction with antiretroviral HIV medicines |
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Orlistat is indicated for weight loss in combination with a low-calorie, low-fat diet. It is available as 120 mg capsules under the brand name Xenical and as 60 mg capsules under the brand name alli. Xenical is only available with a prescription, whereas alli is available without a prescription under the supervision of a pharmacist. Orlistat is a potent, specific, and long-acting inhibitor of gastrointestinal lipases which decreases the amount of fat absorbed from the diet.
On the basis of reports from literature and data obtained after licensing, orlistat may theoretically reduce the absorption of antiretroviral HIV medicines. This may be due to retention of lipophilic medicines in the gastrointestinal tract or reduced gastrointestinal tract transit time. This interaction could negatively affect the efficacy of antiretroviral HIV medications. Reports have been received of suspected interactions between orlistat and efavirenz, and between orlistat and lopinavir. However, the theoretical interaction mechanism described above could also apply to other antiretroviral medicines.
Healthcare professionals are advised to initiate orlistat treatment only after careful consideration of the possible impact on efficacy of antiretroviral HIV medicines. Pharmacists should advise people who take antiretroviral HIV medicines to consult their doctor before taking alli in light of the possible interaction.
Please refer to the following website in MHRA for details:
https://www.gov.uk/drug-safety-update/orlistat-theoretical-interaction-with-antiretroviral-hiv-medicines
In Hong Kong, there are nine registered pharmaceutical products containing orlistat. Two products contain orlistat 60mg and seven products contain orlistat 120mg, and are pharmacy-only medicines and prescription-only medicines respectively. So far, the Department of Health (DH) has not received any adverse reaction report of the drug. The DH will remain vigilant on the safety updates of the drug.
Ends/ Thursday, January 29, 2015
Issued at HKT 18:00
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