How to Make Sure Your alli Pills Are Safe

Many dieters use alli to lose weight. The weight loss aid is the only over-the-counter diet pill that is approved by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA).  But an alli recall forced many diet pill users to question the safety of the medication. The product is now back on the market, but users should examine their pills to make sure that their alli is safe.

According to drugmaker GlaxoSmithKline, the company discovered in March 2014 that some alli bottles were tampered with and did not contain authentic alli diet pills. Tampered bottles were found at retail stores in Alabama, Florida, Louisiana, Mississippi, New York, North Carolina and Texas. With consumer safety in mind, the GSK voluntarily recalled the product from the market. The company initiated an investigation and started working with officials from the FDA to resolve the issue. 

GSK says that the tampered cartons may look authentic. They provide the following safety information on their website to help you identify alli bottles that may have been affected:

• The bottle may contain a range of tablets and capsules of various shapes and colors.
• The bottle may not have a label.
• The bottle’s tamper-evident seal may not be intact, not be made of foil and/or not have the authentic alli wording: “Sealed for your Protection.”
• The lot numbers and expiration dates on the bottle do not match the lot number and expiration date on the outer carton.

The company goes on to say that some bottles bearing the following lot numbers and expiration dates on the carton have been reported by consumers as containing product other than alli:

• Carton Lot 14372, Expiration: 02/28/2016
• Carton Lot 14395, Expiration: 02/28/2016
• Carton Lot 14124, Expiration: 09/30/2015
• Carton Lot 14267, Expiration: 01/31/2016
• Carton Lot 14442, Expiration: 04/30/2016

Now that alli is back on the market, you should take extra care to make sure that your diet pills have not been tampered with. First, make sure that you are purchasing from a legitimate vendor. You can visit the brand's Facebook page to get official updates from GSK about where you can safely purchase alli.

After you buy, you'll want to check your package to make sure your alli diet pills are safe. The new product has special packaging that makes it obvious if the bottle has been tampered with. GSK redesigned the outer carton, including adding tamper-evident safety seals to help consumers identify authentic alli product. In addition, the company provides a detailed description of what the product should look like when the package is opened.

alli^® is a turquoise blue capsule with a dark blue band  imprinted with the text '60 Orlistat'. It is packaged in a labeled bottle that has an inner foil seal imprinted with the words: 'Sealed for your Protection.' The same Lot and Expiration Date codes should be printed on both the bottle label and the outer carton.

If you think that the alli pills you purchased have been tampered with, do not use them. The company recommends that you contact your health care provider and also reach out to their Consumer Relations line at 800-671-2554 and a representative will provide you with further instruction.