2007年VOA标准英语-New Diet Drug Available to General Public in Su

By Carol Pearson
Washington, DC
09 February 2007
 
watch Diet Drug report

A diet drug that now is only available by prescription¹ will soon be available over the counter.  In the United States and other countries it is expected to be on drug store shelves by summer.  VOA's Carol Pearson has more.

 
Diet drug, Alli, has been approved by the U.S. FDA 
There are plenty of prescription weight loss drugs available, but a new diet pill called Alli is the first that will be sold in a non-prescription version. It is proven to block fat. The generic² name is orlistat. It is a less potent³ version of the prescription drug Xenical.

 
Chad Huebner
People, like Pastor⁴ Chad Huebner, hope it will help in the battle with obesity⁵. "I don't want to have to go to the doctor to talk about my weight.  We often feel that weight is something we should be able to manage ourselves."

But this non-prescription version of Xenical is hardly a magic pill.  Users must also eat a low calorie, low fat diet and exercise. 

Here is how it works:  Alli blocks the intestines⁶ from absorbing some of the fat in  food. People who take the medication but continue to eat fatty foods, suffer from  painfully bloated stomachs and diarrhea. So using Alli encourages dieters to eat right.

Obesity specialist Dr. Arthur Frank says Alli could be helpful. "I think this is something that people who are committed to the idea of losing weight carefully can use and can use effectively." Dr. Frank is the director of the George Washington University Weight Management Program.

But critics, such as Dr. Sidney Wolfe of the advocacy group Public Citizen, says the drug can cause pre-cancerous lesions of the colon⁷. "We strongly don't recommend this drug."

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration says some people should take Alli only under a doctor's supervision⁸.  And it is not for children.  But the agency says the diet drug presents a lesser⁹ risk than that of heart disease or diabetes¹⁰ associated with obesity.

1 prescription   

n.处方，开药；指示，规定

参考例句：

• The physician made a prescription against sea- sickness for him.医生给他开了个治晕船的药方。
• The drug is available on prescription only.这种药只能凭处方购买。

2 generic   

adj.一般的，普通的，共有的

参考例句：

• I usually buy generic clothes instead of name brands.我通常买普通的衣服，不买名牌。
• The generic woman appears to have an extraordinary faculty for swallowing the individual.一般妇女在婚后似乎有特别突出的抑制个性的能力。

3 potent   

adj.强有力的，有权势的；有效力的

参考例句：

• The medicine had a potent effect on your disease.这药物对你的病疗效很大。
• We must account of his potent influence.我们必须考虑他的强有力的影响。

4 pastor   

n.牧师，牧人

参考例句：

• He was the son of a poor pastor.他是一个穷牧师的儿子。
• We have no pastor at present:the church is run by five deacons.我们目前没有牧师：教会的事是由五位执事管理的。

5 obesity   

n.肥胖，肥大

参考例句：

• One effect of overeating may be obesity.吃得过多能导致肥胖。
• Sugar and fat can more easily lead to obesity than some other foods.糖和脂肪比其他食物更容易导致肥胖。

6 intestines   

n.肠( intestine的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• Perhaps the most serious problems occur in the stomach and intestines. 最严重的问题或许出现在胃和肠里。 来自辞典例句
• The traps of carnivorous plants function a little like the stomachs and small intestines of animals. 食肉植物的捕蝇器起着动物的胃和小肠的作用。 来自辞典例句

7 colon   

n.冒号，结肠，直肠

参考例句：

• Here,too,the colon must be followed by a dash.这里也是一样，应当在冒号后加破折号。
• The colon is the locus of a large concentration of bacteria.结肠是大浓度的细菌所在地。

8 supervision   

n.监督，管理

参考例句：

• The work was done under my supervision.这项工作是在我的监督之下完成的。
• The old man's will was executed under the personal supervision of the lawyer.老人的遗嘱是在律师的亲自监督下执行的。

9 lesser   

adj.次要的，较小的；adv.较小地，较少地

参考例句：

• Kept some of the lesser players out.不让那些次要的球员参加联赛。
• She has also been affected,but to a lesser degree.她也受到波及，但程度较轻。

10 diabetes   

n.糖尿病

参考例句：

• In case of diabetes, physicians advise against the use of sugar.对于糖尿病患者，医生告诫他们不要吃糖。
• Diabetes is caused by a fault in the insulin production of the body.糖尿病是由体內胰岛素分泌失调引起的。