Diet drug Acomplia has been recently approved for sale in Switzerland for the treatment of obese or overweight patients. The approval by Switzerland, which is not a member of the European Union (EU), is same as the EU marketing approval.

In the Europe Union, the drug was given the permission for use in conjunction with diet and regular workouts for overweight and obese patients with health risks such as type 2 diabetes.

The pharmaceutical major Sanofi-Aventis said regulator Swissmedic authorized the use of the drug for obese patients or for overweight patients with at least one associated cardiovascular risk factor after their failed attempt to loose weight.

Clinical trials showed Acomplia cuts weight and waist circumference and improves blood sugar levels in type 2 diabetes patients, good HDL cholesterol and helps tackle fat levels in the blood.

The news of recent announcements on reimbursement by state social security systems in EU countries like France and Germany hardly affects the Switzerland market.

However, Acomplia still awaits FDA's approval for sale in US market. FDA's Endocrinologic and Metabolic Drugs Advisory Committee will decide its fate on June 13th.