Rimonabant - History

History

See also: Discovery and development of Cannabinoid Receptor 1 Antagonists

Despite the FDA's issuing an approvable letter in February 2006 for the obesity indication, and a nonapprovable letter for smoking cessation, the drug did not enter the market in the United States in 2006. The French pharma firm Sanofi-Aventis disclosed a complete response to the FDA's approvable letter was submitted on 26 October 2006, triggering a Class I (two-month) or Class II (six-month) review process. On 13 June 2007, FDA's Endocrine and Metabolic Drugs Advisory Committee (EMDAC) concluded the French manufacturer Sanofi-Aventis failed to demonstrate the safety of rimonabant and voted against recommending the anti-obesity treatment for approval. Subsequently, Sanofi-Aventis announced it was suspending the new drug application (NDA) for rimonabant, and that it would resubmit an application at some point in the future.

On 21 June 2006, the European Commission approved the sale of rimonabant in the then-25-member European Union. Sanofi announced the first country in which Acomplia would be sold was the United Kingdom as a prescription drug. Sales began in July 2006. Sanofi also announced it projected that the drug would be sold shortly thereafter in Denmark, Ireland, Germany, Finland, and Norway. It was expected in Belgium and Sweden in 2007. Ordinary obesity would, according to official medical recommendations, not be enough to acquire the prescription in Sweden; there would be additional requirements concerning abnormal blood lipid levels.

The EU's approval was not a blanket approval, nor did it approve Acomplia for nonobesity-related problems, such as smoking cessation, although off-label use of the drug was still possible. The approval was, in combination with diet and exercise, for the treatment of obese patients (BMI greater than or equal to 30), or overweight patients (BMI greater than 27) with associated risk factors, such as type 2 diabetes or dyslipidaemia.

In October 2008, the European Medicines Agency recommended doctors not prescribe the drug due to the risk of serious psychiatric problems and even suicide. The drug was subsequently suspended.

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