מתוך medicontext.co.il
By William Langbein
NEW YORK (Reuters Health) – In a move to boost patient and physician support for its weight-loss drug Xenical (orlistat), Hoffmann-La Roche Inc. (Roche) plans to offer Xenical free for 3 months to cash-paying patients who agree to buy the drug for an initial 3-month period.
The "Xenical 3 for 3 Incentive" was introduced to encourage patients to reach the key 3-month weight-loss marker, according to Roche Medical Director Dr. Henry Solomon. Solomon said that patients that reach the 3-month marker in a weight-loss program experience even greater success in the following 3 months.
"The 3 for 3 Incentive motivates patients and, through [Roche's] free XENICare program, provides education and support facilitating their continuing success," said Solomon, in a statement.
Patrick Angelastro, brand director for Xenical in the US, told Reuters Health that only 40% of the 2.3 million Americans who have received Xenical prescriptions have been reimbursed for the drug. Roche expects the program will convince primary care physicians and patients of the drug's value, subsequently generating more support for reimbursement.
Patients enrolling in the incentive program can re-enroll following six months if they and their physicians decide they want to repeat the program.
Roche pointed to National Institutes of Health (NIH) data that suggests weight-reduction programs should be structured over a six-month period to achieve success. A majority of Xenical patients who lost more than 3% of their body weight during the first 3 months of therapy achieved additional benefits in the subsequent 3 months. After one year of Xenical treatment, nearly 40% of these patients lost more than 10% of their body weight, according to the NIH.
"Obesity is an epidemic now, affecting perhaps one-fourth of the US population," said Angelastro. "This program is based on the proper clinical practice for the drug and provides the financial incentive and motivation for successful weight loss."
While Xenical is not prescribed as an acute-care drug, Angelastro conceded there is some question in the marketplace if the drug can be used over the long term. The data indicate Xenical is safe as a chronic care drug, said the brand director, but many primary care physicians have been reluctant to prescribe for the long term because of problems with previous weight-loss prescription drugs.
Worldwide sales of Xenical reached $560 million in 2000. The drug was introduced in the US in April 1999.
In May of this year, Abbott Laboratories began aggressive marketing of Knoll's anti-obesity drug Reductil (sibutramine), a key competitor to Xenical, in the UK. Roche introduced Xenical (orlistat) in Britain in September 1998.
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