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There will be no need to audition models for an ad campaign
when Britain's largest drugs company launches its "next
big thing" in America's $15bn (£8.4bn) diet industry.
The executive in charge of promoting GlaxoSmith-Kline's weight-loss
wonder drug, Alli, can supply his own "before and after"
photos. He's been taking the pills for three years and has
slimmed down by 60 pounds from his original 275 pounds. Steven
Burton hopes the story of his personal battle with obesity
will help Glaxo make money in a market that is unpredictable
and prone to fads.
The drug works by preventing the body from absorbing about
a third of the fat in meals and, as that fat has to go somewhere,
users are prone to multiple visits to the loo and incontinence,
it is claimed. Now, the Public Citizen, a consumer health
group, argues that Alli could cause colon cancer. GSK denies
the claim.
But they admit the side-effects may be off-putting. "I'll
never forget having a fish sandwich and loading it up with
tartar sauce and having French fries," says Mr Burton.
The result was "a classic oops" and a dash home
for a change of clothes.
But, as Mr Burton says: "I had a doctor who was telling
me pretty bluntly that it was time to do something about my
blood pressure and high cholesterol for the sake of my kids.
That's pretty motivating."
GSK is making Mr Burton's warts-and-all account of the drug
available at the start of a marketing campaign that will accelerate
over the summer. That is when the company is expected to win
approval to launch Alli over-the-counter in US pharmacies.
The pill is currently available only on prescription, under
the brand name Xenical.
GSK paid $100m for the US rights to Alli, so Mr Burton is
under pressure.
The company knows that dieters swap their experiences of the
latest diet
pills, potions and meal-time strategies, so that the success
of a new weight-loss aid will be determined more by word-of-mouth
than by a traditional corporate marketing machine.
GSK is also experimenting with new viral marketing techniques.
It is already trying to create an online community of dieters
at its QuestionEverything.com website. This currently provides
information and invites discussion on healthy lifestyles and
existing dieting techniques, but when regulators give Alli
the go-ahead, it will certainly start guiding them towards
considering the product.
There are lots of diet drugs (phentermine
adipex etc… ) available in the market, these are prescribed
drugs for weight loss...
Read the complete news article here:http://news.independent.co.uk
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