From all available evidence, the first official diet pill alli book -- called "Are You Losing It? Losing Weight Without Losing Your Mind" --is not exactly flying off the shelves of grocery stores and pharmacies across the country.

The $5.99 book was placed on sale a month ago as a key part of the premarketing educational campaign agreed to by GlaxoSmithKline in exchange for Food and Drug Administration approval of alli as the only FDA-blessed weight-loss product available to consumers without a prescription.

With alli itself scheduled to go on sale in mid-June, the FDA was insistent that consumers not be led to view alli as a "magic pill" but be educated to the need to combine it with a reduced-calorie diet and exercise program.

But if stacks of unsold books in pharmacies and big-box retailers are any indication, the pent-up public demand for yet one more book giving practical advice on behavioral changes, providing low-fat menu ideas and offering physical activity tips is less than overwhelming.

Glaxo itself has had nothing to say about the pace of sales, but its alli website, myalli.com, put out another promotional news release this past week touting it as an an "eye-opening book" and urging website visitors to "get your copy today, and start down the path to healthy weight loss."

Meanwhile, the alli promotional campaign -- which triggered considerable interest when the first television commercials began airing in early May -- seems to have lost a little steam in the past week.

With the launch of sales of the over-the-counter drug only two weeks away, observers expect a new flurry of promotional activity designed to get alli off to a strong start.