This meta-analysis of 295 Europeans with a body mass index of 28 to 43 found that in patients who successfully lost weight during the initial 3 months of using orlistat, they continued to lose weight for an additional 21 months. Orlistat works for approximately 3/4ths of the people who go on the medication.

http://dailynews.yahoo.com/h/nm/200...orlistat_1.html

Presented at the annual meeting of the North American Association for the Study of Obesity in Quebec City, Canada.

Roche Laboratories Inc., the maker of orlistat (Xenical) , provided funding for the research.