Germany Becomes 2nd EU Country To Get Acomplia

In a much expected announcement from Sanofi Aventis the weight loss drug Acomplia will be launched in Germany by the end of this week with the exact date set for Wednesday. The diet drug was first launched in the UK on the 28th June 2006 and now Germany will be the 2nd EU nation to approve the drug for sale. The Acomplia drug that uses the compound rimonabant for its active ingredient received full approval from the EMEA (the EU drug Authority) earlier this year has still to overcome bureacratic hurdles in various EU countries before it can be sold and marketed in individual nation states.

The Acomplia drug is still not available for sale in the United States as it has yet to receive full FDA approval. The United States market for obesity is the largest in the world and until the drug is approved there the profits that Sanofi Aventis expect to receive will be much reduced. The FDA say that they have some they have some unresolved issues that need to be examined more closely but the exact nature of these issues is yet to be disclosed and Sanofi Aventis are not giving more information at present.

The other countries that expect to launch Acomplia soon are Finland, Norway, Denmark and Ireland and other countries in the EU should follow suit next year. The drug Acomplia has received much publicity as a very effective appetite surpressant that works on the brains' cannaboid receptors to trick them into thinking that hunger is not present. Sanofi Aventis is busy promoting Acomplia to doctors in the EU as a drug to help obese or overweight people with dieting and weight loss. The Acomplia drug has also shown good results in lowering bad cholesterol levels and increasing good cholesterol levels.