ReviewDrug safety2008
Orlistat-associated adverse effects and drug interactions: a critical review.
Review in Drug safety, 2008. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 153 papers.
What it found
Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.
The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.
The trial behind it
Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.
Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.
Who cites it
153 citing papers in PubMed, 426 citations in OpenAlex.
- Safety, Tolerability, and Pharmacokinetics of a Novel Anti-obesity Agent, S-309309, in Healthy Adults with or Without Obesity.Clinical drug investigation · 2025Trial
- Effect of Silibinin on Human Pancreatic Lipase Inhibition and Gut Microbiota in Healthy Volunteers: A Randomized Controlled Trial.International journal of molecular sciences · 2024Trial
- A polyphenol fraction from Rosa multiflora var. platyphylala reduces body fat in overweight humans through appetite suppression - a randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled trial.BMC complementary medicine and therapies · 2024Trial
- Over-the-counter orlistat: early experiences, views and attitudes of community pharmacists in Great Britain.International journal of clinical pharmacy · 2011Trial
- Trial
- Reduction of dietary fat absorption by the novel gastrointestinal lipase inhibitor cetilistat in healthy volunteers.British journal of clinical pharmacology · 2009Trial
- A novel bile salt hydrolase-producingGut microbes · 2026Article
- The Evolution of Medications for Obesity Management.JGH open : an open access journal of gastroenterology and hepatology · 2026Review
- Decoding Immunometabolic Dynamics of Adipose Tissue in Obesity: Evolving Evidence and Way Forward.ACS pharmacology & translational science · 2026Review
- Phytochemical Profiling and Evaluation of Antioxidant and Enzyme Inhibitory Activities of Selected EndemicFood science & nutrition · 2026Article
- Update on Obesity and Its Relationship to Atherosclerotic Cardiovascular Disease and Associated Risk Factors.Journal of clinical medicine · 2026Review
- Integrative profiling of transcriptome and metabolome of skeletal muscle after endurance exercise in a high-fat diet.Clinics (Sao Paulo, Brazil) · 2026Article
- Bench-to-Bedside Evaluation of Sulforaphane/BroccoMax® on Fatty Acid Synthesis in Prostate Cancer.Cancer prevention research (Philadelphia, Pa.) · 2026Article
- Bile acids regulate lipid metabolism through selective actions on fatty acid absorption.Cell metabolism · 2026Article
- Synthetic pancreatic lipase inhibitors in obesity treatment: current updates onRSC medicinal chemistry · 2025Review
- Updates on Anti-Obesity Medications in Children and Adolescents.Children (Basel, Switzerland) · 2025Review
- Purification, Identification, andMarine drugs · 2025Article
- Current status, perceptions, and barriers regarding weight loss approaches in China.Endocrine · 2025Article
- Gastrointestinal Symptoms in Obesity Therapy: Mechanisms, Epidemiology, and Management Strategies.Biomedicines · 2025Review
- Review
93 more citing papers are in PubMed but not listed here.
Corrections and comments
PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.
Authors and funding
6 authors at 2 institutions in 2 countries.
Funding
No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.
Abstract
Orlistat, an anti-obesity drug, is a potent and specific inhibitor of intestinal lipases. In light of the recent US FDA approval of the over-the-counter sale of orlistat (60 mg three times daily), clinicians need to be aware that its use may be associated with less well known, but sometimes clinically relevant, adverse effects. More specifically, the use of orlistat has been associated with several mild-to-moderate gastrointestinal adverse effects, such as oily stools, diarrhoea, abdominal pain and faecal spotting. A few cases of serious hepatic adverse effects (cholelithiasis, cholostatic hepatitis and subacute liver failure) have been reported. However, the effects of orlistat on non-alcoholic fatty liver disease are beneficial. Orlistat-induced weight loss seems to have beneficial effects on blood pressure. No effect has been observed on calcium, phosphorus, magnesium, iron, copper or zinc balance or on bone biomarkers. Interestingly, the use of orlistat has been associated with rare cases of acute kidney injury, possibly due to the increased fat malabsorption resulting from the inhibition of pancreatic and gastric lipase by orlistat, leading to the formation of soaps with calcium and resulting in increased free oxalate absorption and enteric hyperoxaluria. Orlistat has a beneficial effect on carbohydrate metabolism. No significant effect on cancer risk has been reported with orlistat.Orlistat interferes with the absorption of many drugs (such as warfarin, amiodarone, ciclosporin and thyroxine as well as fat-soluble vitamins), affecting their bioavailability and effectiveness. This review considers orlistat-related adverse effects and drug interactions. The clinical relevance and pathogenesis of these effects is also discussed.
Indexed as
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What OpenQuestion holds
Registered trials
Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.