Research
Energy balance
Orlistat is associated with the lowest probability of achieving ≥5% weight loss and the lowest magnitude of excess weight loss among the five FDA-approved agents studied.
Orlistat is the least effective of the approved weight loss drugs, resulting in the lowest percentage of patients achieving significant weight loss and the smallest average weight reduction. It may be considered if other options are not tolerated, but expectations should be managed accordingly.
GoodSupportsHIGH confidence
orlistat... SUCRA, 0.22... orlistat, 2.6 kg (95% CrI, −3.04 to −2.16 kg).
Why this rating
Based on network meta-analysis of RCTs.
Source
Association of Pharmacological Treatments for Obesity With Weight Loss and Adverse Events
Rohan Khera et al. · JAMA · 2016
DOI 10.1001/jama.2016.7602
Meta-analysis · 28 studiesCited 849×
Read the paper DOI resolved against Crossref · corpus check 2026-06-10
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