Xenical contains the active ingredient orlistat.Xenical is to treat people who are overweight or obese.Xenical belongs to a group of medicines called lipase inhibitors.These medicines work by targeting the absorption of dietary fat in your body rather than suppressing your appetite.Dietary fats are large molecules that need to be broken down before they can be absorbed into the body. They are broken down by enzymes called lipases. That is, lipases play an important role in the digestion of dietary fat. When taken with a meal, Xenical interferes with the activity of these enzymes. This allows about 30% of the fat eaten in the meal to pass through the gut undigested. Therefore, your body cannot store these excess calories as fatty tissue or use them as a source of energy.This helps you to reduce your weight by burning up fat that you are already carrying, maintain your lower weight and minimise any weight regain.Losing even small amounts of weight and keeping it off produces additional health benefits for you, especially when you are at risk for other diseases such as heart disease and diabetes. Xenical can also help to improve risk factors, such as high blood pressure, high cholesterol and high blood sugar. If these are not treated, they could lead to other diseases such as hypertension and diabetes.Xenical should be taken in conjunction with a well-balanced calorie-controlled diet and other appropriate measures such as exercise.Your doctor, however, may have prescribed Xenical for another purpose.Ask your doctor if you have any questions about why Xenical has been prescribed for you.Xenical is not addictive.