As a result people are half-hearted about the treatment and it doesn't seem to work because they don't know what's in it for them.

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"You're left with a situation where over short intervals his model looks good, but over long intervals it doesn't seem to work, " Fama says.

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Along with helping heavy patients lose weight (it doesn't seem to work as well on thinner patients), Acomplia also raises good cholesterol, cuts bad cholesterol, reduces triglicerides and generally seems as if it should reduce the risk of heart disease and other obesity-related killers.

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