PhillyInc

The Boston-based Prescription Access Litigation Project, whose mission is to lambast and sometimes sue drug companies, has bestowed one of its sarcastic Bitter Pill awards on GlaxoSmithKline PLC (NYSE: GSK) this year for the company's new campaign to sell an old weight loss drug orlistat (a.k.a. Xenical) over the counter. It's called Alli, pronounced like ally (GSK's product site is here), and the U.S. franchise is run out of Philadelphia. This is the drug that causes all manner of bowel turbulence, such as FDA-approved diarrhea, which some people consider well worth the price of weight loss. No matter what you think of drug marketing, give the group credit for its clever award name:

The ‘With Allies Like This, Who Needs Enemas?’ Award for Irresponsibly Selling a Formerly Prescription-Only Weight Loss Drug Over-the-Counter

Jokes aside, the Boston group worries about abuse of the drug and says the FDA should require users to consult a doctor first. GSK, which has taken the potty humor in stride since Day One, had promised the FDA to be "responsible" and candid in marketing. It has an education kit for every buyer that discusses the side effects and makes clear the drug's effectiveness is tied to healthy eating habits. Jim Edwards at the blog BrandweekRx faults GSK for omitting the side-effect information in an early TV ad, but credits GSK for the information kit. The classic angle here seems to be get people to buy the product, then give them the full gory details later. Still, GSK is at least giving the details. And perhaps it should consider a special campaign for its hometown, Philly, once voted among the fattest in the country. - Thomas Ginsberg