Generic Acomplia
Indian media state that numerous copies of Acomplia (rimonabant) diet pill are available in Indian drugstores without a prescription for as low as $3.60 for a pack. About six Indian pharmaceutical companies including well known generic drug producers Ranbaxy and Cipla have been approved by the Indian authorities to manufacture and sell their formulations of Acomplia.
French pharmaceutical giant Sanofi-Aventis that has developed Acomplia was also approved to market its far-more-expensive product in India, but it seems to not rush with its distribution. In Europe Acomplia is sold for $100 per a month supply of the drug.
In India, where drug producers are allowed to manufacture reverse-engineered formulations of medicines patented before 1995, the sale of these generic Acomplia variations is perfectly legal. But you won't be able to buy these Indian generic drugs in the US, Europe or Canada.
However, the age of Internet gives hope to many obese and overweight Americans and Europeans, allowing generic variations of Acomplia to be distributed through mail-order. And experts predict a huge boom of this market in the near future. Drugs not approved by the FDA in the US are legally not allowed to pass the borders but in reality many shipments reach their destinations.
Many doctors are worried by this abundance of generic Acomplia, which is sold without prescription and taken without proper monitoring by healthcare professionals. They are concerned by the possible side-effects and potential overdoses, which may occur with individuals taking the drug on their own. Acomplia has faced certain criticism from FDA and such cases of generic drug over-the-counter use will definitely be not as positive for the possible approval by the agency.
In India, where the majority of cheap generic formulations are produced, these variations of Acomplia are sold as prescription drugs. But the media state that many pharmacies in major cities of the countries sell generic Acomplia without any prescriptions. |
