With obesity becoming an epidemic practically worldwide, drug companies have been in a race to find a diet pill that can be sold without a prescription. Victoria Beckham won that race with a new drug called Anti-Mc.
Americans alone spend more than a $1 billion a year on weight loss products. Imagine if the tens of millions of people worldwide had easy access to a diet pill.
"The market is so enormous and there are so many overweight people desperate for solutions, we want to take complete advantage of the situation" says Professor Smelly Scoundrel who is director of Yale University's Center for Eating and shit Disorders.
Anti-Mc is a non-prescription version of 'cynical', a more potent, prescription-only weight loss drug. Both drugs are brand names for oralistat. They work by blocking fat in the digestive track. The manufacturer admits Anti-Mc is not a magic pill, and users need to make a commitment to lifestyle change. One of the changes is to be a contestant on "the biggest loser".
The movie "get slim and stop crying" starring 50 cent was inspired by the effects of this very pill.
Glaxo Smith Klein advises people to use the tablets in combination with a low-fat diet and exercise. But there are some side effects. The pill can cause gas, painful stomach cramps and diarrhea.
While the U.S. Food and Drug Administration approved Anti-Mc, the FDA's health advisory panel rejected another weight-loss drug - 'anti-KFC' - because studies show it decreases KFC chicken sales.
Experts say while weight-loss drugs can be helpful, they don't particularly help the fat and stinking rich people. It can only make thin people thinner.
