Counterfeit Alli pills found on Internet

The FDA recently warned consumers that a counterfeit and potentially harmful version of over-the-counter weight loss drug Alli is being sold on the Internet.

The counterfeit version contains the controlled substance sibutramine instead of orlistat, the active ingredient in the real drug. Sibutramine should not be used in certain patient populations or without physician oversight and can interact in a harmful way with other medications.

The counterfeit Alli product looks similar to the authentic product, with a few notable differences. A full description is available online.