Xenical May Delay Diabetes, Roche Says

Roche Holding, which is trying to revive demand for its Xenical obesity pill, said the medicine may delay or prevent the development of the most common form of diabetes.

Patients taking Xenical who also made lifestyle changes reduced their risk of developing diabetes by 37%, a four-year study sponsored by Roche showed.

Switzerland’s second-biggest drug maker has changed its marketing for the pill and now offers three months of the medicine free to U.S. patients who purchase three months’ worth. Sales of Xenical, once billed as a potential $1-billion drug, fell 18% in the first half.