The controversial anti-obestity drug rimonabant, marketed as Acomplia, has been approved for National Health Service (NHS) use in the England and Wales. The National Institute for Healthcare and Clinical Excellence (NICE) has approved use of this diet drug in people who are clinically obese or people who are seriously overweight with complications such as diabetes.

The drug, made by Sanofi-Aventis, is approved for sale in Britain and elsewhere in the European Union but was rejected by a U.S. Food and Drug Administration panel in June 2007 because of concerns the drug increases the risk of depression and suicidal thoughts

A significant portion of U.K.'s public health funds are spent on obesity prescription drugs. According to the National Health Service, in 2006, prescriptions for orlistat and sibutramine reached one million, an eight-fold increase compared to 1999 figures.

The obesity pills, which has a staggering bill of $94.3 million USD (47.5 million GBP), indicate how Britain, like many western and industrialized countries, is grappling with an overweight population that could wreak havoc on the nation's health cost

In a first likely to shake up a diet industry bloated with bogus or unproven products; the Food and Drug Administration has approved over-the-counter sales of a weight loss drug.

The drug, orlistat, will be the first medication of its kind available without a prescription. Orlistat is currently available by prescription under the brand name, Xenical, but the FDA's ruling Wednesday will make the drug available to millions of new consumers seeking ways to shed pounds, some experts predict. The over-the-counter version of the drug will be sold under the name "Alli

An analysis of the published studies on the risks and benefits of the weight-loss medications suggests that more data is needed to know the net benefits of these drugs and justify the cost associated with them. The review conducted by two Canadian researchers has been published in the Jan. 6 issue of the journal The Lancet.

Raj Padwal and Sumit Majumdar of the University of Alberta Hospital in Edmonton contend that while the drugs such as sibutramine (Meridia), orlistat (Xenical) and rimonabant (Acomplia) have proven to help patients lose weight, their role in reducing the risks of heart attack, stroke and diabetes is unclear

A new study in rats shows a molecule in the brain linked to inducing the sensation of "fullness" could help fight obesity. When the molecule was injected into rat-brains, the rats ate less and lost weight.

Existing treatments for obesity include hormone injections, the drug sibutramine, which induces a feeling of fullness, and orlistat, a drug, obstructs fat in the gut