When will the EU Diet Pill Acomplia (Rimonabant) be on Sale in Canada or Mexico?

With Sanofi planning to launch its diet drug Acomplia (rimonabant) in Britain in July, thousands of Americans are trying to figure out how they can obtain this highly touted diet pill as soon as possible even though it has not yet been approved by the Food and Drug Administration for sale in the United States.

One way of obtaining it, of course, would be to travel to England, see a British doctor, try to get a prescription for Acomplia, and purchase it at a British pharmacy (sometimes called a chemist). An expensive option.

The other countries where Sanofi said it plans to roll out Acomplia during the second half of this year -- Denmark, Ireland, Germany, Finland and Norway -- are also costly to reach.

So, is Acomplia likely to be obtainable this summer either in Canada or Mexico, two closer-to-home venues visited by millions of U.S. residents each year.

The Canadian drug approval process generally moves much more slowly than the FDA process, and there has been no indication that Sanofi even has filed for approval of Acomplia in Canada. Observers believe there is no likelihood of Acomplia being available in Canada anytime soon.

The situation in Mexico, however, is less clear.

Drugs sometimes are approved for sale in Mexico before they have been approved in the United States (the impotence drug Cialis is one example of this), and Sanofi management presented a slide show in February that listed Mexico as a country where Acomplia was expected to go on sale in 2006.

Sanofi has not said anything since, however, about submitting a marketing application for rimonabant to the Mexican regulatory authority (General Directorate for the Control of Medicinal Products and Technologies Related to Health). Prospects of it appearing on the market in Mexico this year are uncertain.

One offshore possibility for obtaining Acomplia this fall, however, might be in certain islands that are overseas territories of the United Kingdom, such as the Cayman Islands, Bermuda, or the British Virgins.

Tens of thousands of U.S. vacationers and cruise-ship passengers visit these islands every week.

Pharmacies on these islands obtain their prescription drugs from U.K. suppliers, and Acomplia would appear to be potentially available through this source. But, reputable pharmacies on these islands will not sell a prescription drug to a visitor without a prescription from a local doctor.