Orlistat in the treatment of Type 2 diabetes mellitus.

The prevalence of Type 2 diabetes mellitus (DM-2) is increasing throughout the world and poses a major public health concern. With the majority of patients DM-2 are overweight or obese and weight loss is generally recommended, both as a first-line therapy and as an adjunct to pharmacological therapies. However, it is generally acknowledged that weight loss, a difficult goal for many overweight and obese individuals, is especially difficult for those with DM-2 and there is interest in whether pharmacological adjuncts may be useful for this purpose. Orlistat is an intestinal lipase inhibitor previously approved for the treatment of obesity. During the past several years, clinical trials have been completed concerning the use of orlistat in the treatment of overweight or obese patients with DM-2. The purpose of this review is to examine the results of these clinical trials. Data on > 2500 orlistat-treated patients with DM-2 are reviewed and summarised. Orlistat therapy led to greater weight loss and improved metabolic control in overweight and obese patients with DM-2.