Sanofi goes to law in Germany on Acomplia

French drug major Sanofi-Aventis says that the German Ministry of Health has ratified the recommendation of the country's Joint Federal Committee (G-BA) - which decides which prescription medicines can be covered by the state health insurance program - to classify its anti-obesity agent Acomplia (rimonabant) among non-reimbursable products or "comfort" or "lifestyle"drugs (Marketletter October 30, 2006). The decision was published in the Official Journal on January 12.

Sanofi-Aventis considers the proposed reimbursement classification as unjustified, given the good medical profile of Acomplia, and says it intends to contest this decision in court under Section 34 of the law.

The French firm has set the German price of a month's supply of Acomplia at 80.32 euros ($103.88), a level that would impact on its sales potential if patients have to pay the full cost themselves. However, if covered by the health insurance funds, the co-payment for the drug would be only around 10% of this. Global peak sales projects for the product have been put at around $3.0 billion a year by Jean-Francois Dehecq, who has recently stepped down as chief executive but remains chairman of Sanofi-Aventis.