Roche and GlaxoSmithKline Consumer Healthcare announced that they have signed a promotion agreement for the prescription weight loss medication Xenical (orlistat) in the US. The agreement allows GSK Consumer Healthcare to detail and promote Xenical Rx in the US and GSK Consumer Healthcare medical sales representatives will begin meeting with doctors later this week to review clinical data showing the benefit of treating patients with Xenical, a GSK release said.

"Our relationship with GSK is longstanding, and we are pleased to expand it further through the co-promotion of Xenical," commented Peter Hug, Head of Roche Pharma Partnering. "Through partnering, we have taken a highly effective Roche medicine and added GSK's OTC sales force, one of the strongest in the industry, to be competitive in a challenging market. Roche and GSK have a history of collaboration, a current agreement being the co-promotion of Boniva (ibandronate) for the management of osteoporosis."

"This is a great opportunity for GSK Consumer Healthcare. In July 2004, we also acquired the rights to orlistat over-the-counter (OTC) in the US. This new agreement enables us to get hands-on experience promoting prescription Xenical while we prepare our application to the FDA for an OTC version," commented George Quesnelle, president, GSK Consumer Healthcare North America.

"Excess weight is a major healthcare threat among Americans and, as it is now recognized as a disease, we are hopeful that many more overweight and obese people will seek medical help," he concluded. Terms of the agreement Under the terms of the agreement GSK obtains the exclusive right to detail and promote Xenical Rx in the US. The terms of the agreement remain confidential. This agreement is only valid in the US and does not affect any other market. Roche will continue to manufacture and invoice Xenical.

Xenical is the number one prescription weight loss medication worldwide that has a unique mode of action. It works locally in the gut to prevent dietary fat absorption by around 30 percent and effectively promotes weight loss. It is the most extensively studied pharmacological weight management treatment to date, with over 30,000 overweight or obese patients participating in clinical trials with Xenical, including the 4 year landmark Xendos study. It is an effective therapy that not only helps patients lose weight, but also helps them maintain their weight loss.