Zydus Cadila, an Indian manufacturer of generic drugs headed by one of the country's richest men, said on May 17th it has launched a version of the new Sanofi-Aventis diet drug Acomplia (rimonabant) under the name Slimona.

"Slimona (Rimonabant) is a selective CB1 Endocannabinoid (EC) receptor antagonist indicated for the treatment of obesity," Zydus Cadila said in a news release."The group is the first company to launch this revolutionary new molecule for Indian patients."

While Acomplia, which is still awaiting regulatory action in the United States, is already on the market in a variety of European and Latin American countries, it has not yet been placed on sale in India.

Zydus Cadila offered no information as to how it was able to sell a generic version of Acomplia, which presumably will remain protected by patents for a number of years.

‘Considering the rapidly escalating incidence of obesity and the need for new anti-obesity therapies, Slimona will address the needs of family physicians, cardiologists, endocrinologists, gynaecs, diabetologists and other specialists, who have been looking for a way to have better control and management of obese and overweight patients," said Dr. Ravindra Mittal, Medical Advisor and Head of Regulatory Affairs for Zydus Cadila.

Zydus Cadila's major shareholder remains the family of the late Shri Ramanbhai Patel, co-founder of the company. Pankaj Patel, son of the founder, is CEO and has been listed as one of the wealthiest men in India.