Obesity is a condition where excess body weight can increase the risk of health problems such as heart disease and diabetes. The study examines a new formulation of orlistat called EMP22, which releases the medicine slowly over time, and a combination product EMP16 that contains both orlistat and acarbose. These medicines work by reducing the amount of fat that the body absorbs from food.

The purpose of the trial is to confirm that EMP22 produces the same effect as the already approved drug Xenical® in terms of how much fat is expelled in the stool, a measure known as faecal fat excretion. This type of comparison is called pharmacodynamics, which looks at what the drug does to the body.

Healthy volunteers will take the study capsules in two separate parts. In the first part, participants will receive EMP22 and Xenical® in a single‑blind crossover design, meaning they will not know which capsule they are taking each time, but the study staff will. In the second part, the focus shifts to how the body processes the medicines, referred to as pharmacokinetics, by giving EMP16 and comparing it to Xenical®. Participants will follow a short schedule of taking the capsules, providing stool samples, and having a few blood draws to assess how the medicines work and are handled by the body.