Sanofi-Aventis sees value fall as Acomplia decision delayed

Shares in French pharmaceutical firm Sanofi-Aventis fell by as much as four per cent yesterday, after the US Food & Drug Administration (FDA) delayed its approval of the weight-loss drug Acomplia (rimonabant).

An “approvable” letter was issued by the FDA on Friday for the anti-obesity pill, calling for Sanofi-Aventis to provide more information on the drug it had hoped to launch in the second quarter of 2006.

A decision on the drug, one of the most hotly anticipated, is now not expected for at least the next few months while the pharmaceutical giant continues to work with the FDA.

Furthermore, approval of the pill to be marketed as a support to stop smoking was also denied by the FDA.

The weight loss pill works by blocking the CB1 receptor, which is one of two receptors found in the Endocannabinoid System, crucial to regulating the intake of food and expenditure of energy.

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