Starting this week, the drugmaker will distribute a new book called “Are You Losing It?” to retailers as a way to push its Alli weight-loss pill. The $5.99 item will be sold in Wal-Mart, Target, CVS, Walgreen’s and Kroger, although only until some unspecified quantities last.

This isn’t a brand new idea. Glaxo indicated it would release the book a few weeks ago when Alli, which was formerly known as the Xenical prescription pill, was approved by the FDA for over-the-counter sales. “We simply want to educate consumers about weight loss,” Steve Burton, Glaxo’s vp for weight control, told Pharmalot at the time.

Whether this gambit will boost Alli, specifically, remains to be seen. Xenical was anything but a hit. Weight loss was modest and hard to sustain, and required changing diet and exercise, which should be done anyway. And then there were those oily side effects.

But pushing the book in the same high-traffic venues where its new fat pill can be purchased is a smart, if obvious tactic. And while the words ‘Glaxo’ doesn’t appear on the cover, the name ‘Alli’ does, so the tie-in is obvious, too. And the timing is right, assuming the pill becomes avaiable soon.

By the way, the four authors include three weight-loss gurus and a widely known chef, all of whom were paid by Glaxo, which is underwriting the entire production, if that wasn’t already clear. One is Caroline Apovian, who directs the Center for Nutrition and Weight Management at Boston Medical Center and has received grants from Glaxo in the past.

The drugmaker says all book profits are pledged to ‘fight childhood obesity through programs sponsored by Shaping America’s Health and NAASO, The Obesity Society.’ Glaxo, of course, is a corporate sponsor of both groups.

Will consumers lose anything? You can answer that one. Glaxo’s marketing team, however, certainly doesn’t appear to be ‘losing it.’ [tags]Alli, GlaxoSmithKline[/tags]