The Food and Drug Administration approved the first officially sanctioned weight-loss drug that can be sold without a prescription, the New York Times reports.

The weight loss drug entitled Alli, is expected to be available to consumers in the summer and it is the only government-approved alternative to unproven over-the counter weight loss remedies

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

Three new studies find that taking a low dose of the diet drug orlistat, while eating a reduced-calorie diet results in significant weight loss.

Researchers also found the combination improved lipid and blood pressure profiles and was well tolerated by patients.

The studies were presented at the International Congress of Obesity in Sydney, Australia

Roche Holding AG's prescription diet drug Xenical should immediately be pulled from the U.S. market after recent data linked it to precancerous colon lesions in animal studies, a consumer group told federal health regulators on Monday.

In a petition, Public Citizen also asked the U.S. Food and Drug Administration to reject making the weight-loss pill widely available over the counter. On Friday, the FDA said it granted GlaxoSmithKline Plc. conditional approval to sell the drug without a prescription if it first meets certain undisclosed criteria. Glaxo owns U.S. rights for nonprescription sales of Xenical

A consumer watchdog group is petitioning the Food and Drug Administration to remove the prescription obesity drug Xenical (orlistat) from the market.

Public Citizen says the drug may lead to a higher risk of aberrant crypt foci (ACF), which is believed to be a factor in colon cancer