Sumatriptan Finally Launched In France

Glaxo has finally gone ahead and launched its migraine treatment Imigrane (sumatriptan) onto the market in France, even though it has failed to secure a reimbursement price for the drug. The drug will therefore be marketed on a non-reimbursable basis.

The company has been in negotiations with the French authorities over the pricing of sumatriptan for over four years, and technical approval for Imigrane has been granted since March 1993. At close to $30 a dose, many European governments are concerned about the cost of sumatriptan, and a complaint by the Danish government has triggered an investigation into Glaxo's pricing by the European Commission.

The French authorities' line appears to be that, despite being the only drug of its kind available, it should not be used first-line in migraine as other treatments are available and at a significantly lower cost. Sandoz' Diergo Spray (dihydroergotamine) and Synthelabo's Migpriv (lysine plus metoclopromide) have both been launched in France at prices lower than Imigrane (Marketletter June 27).