Success rate of Orlistat in primary-care practice is limited by failure to follow prescribing recommendations: the referral letter content vs clinical reality.

Numerous referrals to our Obesity Unit state that 'treatment with Orlistat did not work'. This surprised us, since Orlistat has been well documented to result in long-term sustained moderate weight loss. A simple questionnaire to 70 such patients, however, revealed that in many cases the referral physician had not observed basic rules and regulations, nor given appropriate information on Orlistat use.