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It's not new, and it's no miracle pill. But that's not stopping the all-out, megabucks effort under way to make you think it is.

And by early accounts, overweight America is indeed surging to drugstores and supermarkets to snatch up the newest and much-hyped weight-loss drug hitting the market today.

But in Tucson, the reaction so far to Alli — the first FDA-approved, over-the-counter diet pill — appears to be somewhat tepid, at least among the experts and those experienced in the weight-loss game.

"No, I won't be in the crowds trying to get this on Friday — if there are crowds," said Tucsonan Dorian Cooley, 34, who's been in a lengthy battle with her weight and was immediately intrigued by TV ads pushing Alli, a drug that blocks absorption of some dietary fat.

"I got on the Internet to find out more about it. But to me, this sounds like it's going to be a disappointment. I think people will try it once, maybe for a few weeks, and then it'll be over.

"When you find out how it works and what it does, there's not really a whole lot to it. It's not going to help much with losing weight."

Appearing on Tucson shelves for the first time this morning, Alli has been rolled out nationwide with a $150 million multimedia blitz.

Problem is, there's a been-there-done-that backstory to Alli, doctors say. It's the same drug that's been out for several years as the prescription fat-blocker Xenical, an expensive pill plagued by unhappy side effects and slumping sales.

Now being resold over-the-counter as Alli, it's been cut to half strength and costs $50 for a one-month "starter kit."

"I've not met one patient who was ever successful with Xenical, and most of our patients have tried it," said Dr. Patrick Chiasson, a Tucson bariatric surgeon whose patients must try legitimate weight-loss programs — including drugs — before they can undergo surgery.

"The side effects are so rotten — horrible diarrhea that smells to high heaven — very few could tolerate it for more than a month. This is just a drug that has not been wildly successful in prescription form, so they'll try to sell it over the counter. But it is no solution for obesity."

At half-strength, Alli is supposed to block about 25 percent of the fat you eat from being absorbed by the body. The hitch — and it's a messy one — is that the more fat you eat, the worse the diarrhea, possibly to the point of embarrassing accidents in public.

That's why Alli's manufacturer, GlaxoSmithKline, is advising users to wear dark pants or take along a change of clothes until they know how the drug affects them.

It's also why the company is strongly stressing the need to follow a low-fat diet with regular exercise while taking Alli.

"It reminds me of those potato chips that used the fat-blocking oil. All it meant was you ate too many and ended up in the bathroom all day — if you were lucky to get to one in time," Cooley said. "The point is, you've still got to do what everyone's got to do to lose weight. This is nothing new."

Even so, at the 6,000 Walgreens stores that got Alli Thursday — a day before the official launch — the marketing hype seemed to be working. Dieters lined up early and several stores sold out, according to reports in the Boston area.

But phones at weight-loss centers and doctors' offices in Tucson were not ringing off the hook in anticipation of Alli.

"A couple people asked about it today," said Willow Lowery, a counselor at LA Weight Loss Center. "I personally don't like the idea of fat-blockers, but we explain to people what it does, and let them decide if they want to take it.

"What worries me is that I take a lot of vitamins, and the fat-soluble vitamins will pass right through you if you're taking Alli. So I would never take it."

But that's about the only safety issue linked to Alli — that those who do manage to use it successfully for a prolonged time should take vitamin supplements. Otherwise, it's considered a safe drug, with little potential for abuse.

"It's hard for me to imagine anyone abusing it," Chiasson said. "The side effects will put a stop to that."

Based on experience with the stronger Xenical, the effects of Alli are likely vary widely. And when it does work, its best use might be as a teaching tool, telling dieters rather dramatically when they've eaten a meal with too much fat in it.

"I've seen some people take this drug (Xenical) and eat a pepperoni pizza, with no effects at all. But I've seen others eat a plain salad with fat-free dressing and get the unpleasant symptoms," said Dr. Albert Fritz, a longtime Tucson family physician who specializes in bariatric medicine.

Fritz still writes the occasional prescription for Xenical, but not very often, he said.

"For actual weight loss, I've seen it have a very limited effect. And the lower-strength Alli is likely to be even less effective," he said.

"My patients are curious about Alli — they've seen the TV ads and the signs up in the stores — but very skeptical.

"They've been sold a bill of goods so many times by advertisers, they are really taking this with a large grain of salt."