An important aspect of any weight management strategy is the prevention of weight regain after initial weight loss. Although there is no data on long-term weight loss, medium term studies show that weight loss is generally maintained in patients who continue Orlistat therapy. A four year double-blind, randomized, placebo-controlled trial with Orlistat including 3304 overweight patients (XENDOS study) showed mean weight loss after 4 years was significantly greater with Orlistat (5.8 kg vs 3.0 kg with placebo; P < 0.001) (Torgerson et al 2004). Furthermore, the 2003 Cochrane meta-analysis showed that Orlistat-treated patients regained a smaller percentage of weight compared to placebo-treated patients (P < 0.05 for all studies) over 2 years (Padwal et al 2003).