Sanofi's Acomplia gets French reimbursement

French drug major Sanofi-Aventis says that its anti-obesity drug Acomplia (rimonabant), a selective cannabinoid-1 receptor antagonist, has now been included in the list of medicines that are reimbursable by France's Social Security system, although there are conditions.

In France, Acomplia's price has been set at 71.63 euros ($95.25), including tax, for a 28-day course, and will be reimbursable for obese patients (body-mass index equal to or greater than 30kg/m2) with type 2 diabetes uncontrolled by monotherapy with metformin or a sulphonurea and whose HbA1c is in the range of 6.5%-10%. However, to be entitled to the 35% Social Security reimbursement, the prescription must be issued on a special form (ordonnance de medicament d'exception) and conform to the details laid out in the Therapeutics Information Bulletin, the company explains.

Marketing approval for Acomplia was granted by the European Commission back in June 2006 and, in February this year, the French Ministry of Health's senior council of health recommended it should be made reimbursable (Marketletter February 12), but it is only now that it has been launched. However, with the restrictions of patients eligible, French sales of the product are not likely to be huge; the obese/diabetic patient population has been estimated at between 155,000 and 170,000.