Weight Loss News

Diet Drug Acomplia Users Confront Grim News on Refund in Germany

22 June 2007

June 20th proved to be a terrible day for acomplia users in Germany as the Berlin court espoused the verdict of a German regulatory body's citing rimonabant as a "lifestyle" drug which can't be entitled for the repayment by German state health insurers.

The court defended a decision taken by Germany's Joint Federal Committee (G-BA) last October that Acomplia must be cited with in the country's negative list which embraces those products that are not entitled to be reimbursed.

In Germany, a month's supply of the diet drug costs around 100 Euros (U.S. $130). Presently, Nine out of 10 Germans are asked only to disburse co-pay for those drugs which are covered by state insurance. In the matter of diet drug Acomplia, the co-pay would have been around $10.

By rejecting the drug maker's appeal for reimbursement, the court decision simply implies that now patients will have to bear the total cost of rimonabant in Germany

According to the papers released last week in the United States, acomplia was recommended for nearly 50,000 Germans between June and November of the last year. In addition, the papers also acknowledged Germany as the biggest marketplace for the drug so far.

The decision was the second major jolt for the drug maker within a week subsequent to the FDA's advisory panel rejection to endorse acomplia for sale in the U.S on the basis of safety concerns. Acomplia is the first in a novel group of therapeutics which functions by wedging up CB-1 receptors.

Meanwhile, the European Medicines Agency, which provided approval to Acomplia in the European Union over a year back, is evaluating the FDA committee's judgment and new data offered at the U.S. meet.