Sanofi Aventis: UK launch of Acomplia successful

Sanofi-Aventis, the French pharmaceutical company, has said it is “very pleased” with the manner of the UK launch of Acomplia, the new obesity treatment.

The “first-in-class” drug was first launched in the UK in late June, although NICE has not yet begun its assessment to determine whether or not Acomplia should be made available on the NHS.

Sanofi-Aventis has indicated that the drug should be used in obese patients or overweight people with type two diabetes and other risk factors. Acomplia works by inhibiting the body’s CB1 receptors, which are part of the endocannabinoid system – believed to play an important in the regulation of body weight.

Nigel Brooksby, managing director of Sanofi-Aventis’ UK operations, told Reuters that much of the drug’s success so far can be put down to the significant obesity concerns currently observed in the UK.

He said: “The UK launch has certainly met our expectations. The qualitative information we are receiving is that it is getting a very good reception.”

“At the time of launch, we got a great deal of spontaneous support from key opinion leaders. I think the support was really around the fact that there is an unmet need, because obesity is clearly an issue in the UK,” he added.

Mr Brooksby concluded by saying that he hoped NICE approval would happen by the second half of 2008, until which time Acomplia will be available privately.

Acomplia costs ?1.97 per tablet, something that NICE assessors would have to examine in cost-efficiency tests. However, some estimates put the cost of obesity-related diseases in the NHS at seven billion pounds per year.

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