Sanofi-Aventis will not take this threat to their profits lying down...

The big French drug company Sanofi-Aventis has learnt that its new weight loss drug Acomplia is being copied in India by three different drug companies. According to recent reports Torrent Pharmaceutical, Sun Pharmaceuticals and Zydus Cadila have made generic versions of this new diet drug.  Acomplia has only been on sale in the United Kingdom for just under a year but nevertheless Indian drug companies were quick off the mark to copy it.

It looks like however that Sanofi-Aventis will have a hard time to use legal remedies to right the situation because the Indian government only agreed to sign up to international patent rules in 1995 and the legislation for that only applies to new patents registered from that year on. The Acomplia active ingredient rimonabant was registered a year before in 1994 thus making the sale of it completely legal in India. Nevertheless Sanofi-Aventis will not take this threat to their profits lying down and are likely to launch legal action in any way they can.

These are delicate times for Sanofi-Aventis and their Acomplia weight loss drug as they are waiting for full approval from the Food & Drug Authority that regulates all medicines in the United States of America. If the approval goes ahead (it is due next month), it will drastically affect the financial future of the drug.

Acomplia works in a different way to most weight loss drugs in that it acts on the brain and tricks you into thinking that you are full. It is therefore a very effective appetite suppressant. Acomplia is on sale in quite a few European countries and has been well received by the medical community. The drug is also said to help people with metabolic issues and diabetes however it is largely marketed as a weight loss drug for obese people.