Greetings to List Members

I have been on prescription Xenical for 241 days.   My weight loss has been 47 lbs.  My glucose numbers have dropped dramatically (mostly in the first three months) and my insulin injections have dropped 67%.   Yes, the dietary effects were a problem in the first month which would discourage many and cause them to drop the medication.   Keeping an accurate journal of kcalorie and fat intake was the key to successful weight loss and avoidance of the worst side effects (I refer to them as "the Trotskys").   Yet under the suggested diet regime I never felt undernourished or overly hungry.  

My current BMI is 27.9 and hope to reduce my weight by a further 20 lbs.  While in the first month my weight loss was an amazing 3 lbs per week it is now 1 lb per week.   I have a prescription for Xenical which runs out on April 1 (Fools Day).

This is not a commercial pitch for Roche (Xenical) or Glaxo (Alli).  I live in Canada where I have not had any word as to whether approval by the Canadian authorities of Alli is anticipated.   However I do live only 20 minutes away from the US / Canada border crossing.

I see my endocrinologist who prescribed the Xenical at the end of this month.  I don't believe that he can prescribe  OTC Alli since it is not approved in Canada.   Ergo, my two drug insurance plans aren't likely to pay for it either.  (Yes where I live seniors get taxpayer funded free prescription drugs with a small out of pocket dispensing fee.   Some very expensive drugs are not covered by this drug plan but are covered by my employer's drug plan for retirees.  The co-pay dispensing fee is also covered by this second plan).

What intrigues me is that Alli (60 mg Orlistat) is claimed to have 85% of the effectiveness of prescription Xenical (120 mg Orlistat) at one-third the price in the US. 

The question remains that if I purchase Alli (out of pocket), import and declare it at the border can the employer/retiree drug insurance plan deny my claim for Alli if I have a prescription for the higher dose (Xenical) of the same drug (Orlistat) ?   I will have the answer as soon as I can get my hands on this Glaxo product (hopefully in June when I pay a visit to Philadelphia PA).

I hope that someone on the list will post notice of the arrival of Alli at their local US franchised pharmacy and note its price and quantity.

Stay tuned for my next posting in June.

telework