A few weeks ago I placed a call to Sanofi-Aventis to ask for a briefing on Acomplia, the company’s anti-obesity pill. They didn’t return my call. Note to pharma pr people: maintaining silence on a subject
is generally regarded by journalists as a signal that you’re in trouble on that issue, fair or not. Sanofi, I’d love to hear from you! In terms of prescription products with vanity applications, Acomplia is the most eagerly awaited since Pfizer’s Viagra or Allergan’s Botox. Sanofi thinks it can make $3 billion a year on the drug. But more recently, the emphasis has been on the ‘waiting,’ rather than the ‘eagerly.’ We learned Monday that the FDA wants to take another three months to consider Acomplia’s approval. This is the latest in a string of setbacks for Acomplia, including a possible name change (Zimulti?) and an extremely limited approval in France, Sanofi’s home territory. A super-secret source of mine with some knowledge of the Acomplia situation indicates that history should be our guide when it comes to anti-fat pills: Thus far, miracle cures (Xenical, Alli, TrimSpa, etc.) have had only modest results because they tend to not work as dramatically as patients hope and they are weighed down with unpleasant side effects like nausea.