On the 26th March, Sanofi-Aventis, the third largest pharmaceutical manufacturer in the world, announced that the UK’s National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence (NICE), had approved Acomplia for use in the National Health Service (NHS). NICE is a non-governmental organisation. It plays the role of a gatekeeper and, if it approves a medication, its use in the NHS is subsidised out of public funds. Up to now, Acomplia has had approval granted by the European Medicines Agency (EMEA) for use on private prescription only. So patients have had to pay the full retail price for Acomplia. This decision by NICE means that patients who have a BMI of 30 or more, or a BMI of 27 with associated risk factors, can now get treatment without having to pay for Acomplia (the change of diet and the introduction of physical exercise have no additional cost implications). This is a small step forward for Sanofi-Aventis which has a good product but has found it difficult to promote its use. (more…)