The new diet pill Acomplia (rimonabant) was hailed in major U.K. newspapers this past week as a "Wonder Drug," a "Wonder Weight Loss Pill," a "Fat-Busting Drug" said to produce "Amazing Results," and the start of the "Obesity Drug Revolution."

And that was just in the headlines.

In the stories that followed, Acomplia was described as "a drug that promises to revolutionise the treatment of obesity and diabetes," a "groundbreaking once-a-day pill," a "wonder pill that can cut body weight by 10 per cent in a year," and a "revolutionary new drug which helps people lose weight."

These stories surely sounded like a rare piece of good news to the millions of people looking for an easy way to shed some pounds.

All of these stories followed the June 28th launch news conference by the drug's developer, Sanofi-Aventis, which insisted it intended Acomplia to be only used by doctors to treat obese patients with a body mass index (BMI) of 30 or more, or overweight patients with a BMI of 27 or more who have cholesterol problems or are showing signs of developing type 2 diabetes.

"We shall take care with this product," Sanofi CEO Jean-Francois Dehecq had soberly said a week earlier. "We shall work hard in conjunction with the medical community." Added Sanofi spokesman Jean-Marc Podvin: "It's definitely not a cosmetic drug.''

At the London news conference, Sanofi even trotted out a couple of distinguished doctors who agreed they would be slow to prescribe Acomplia.

"On a first appointment they won't get a prescription for any weight-loss medication," said Dr. David Haslam, indicating that a reduced calorie diet and exercise "will always be used first."

Dr. John Betteridge of University College London went further, saying that with a new patient he would be inclined to wait at least three months to see if diet and exercise were working before prescribing Acomplia.

Where's the disconnect here?

Did the U.K. media somehow miss Sanofi's emphasis on the need for a cautious, let's-start-out-slowly-with-those-who-need-it-the-most approach to the prescribing of Acomplia -- a drug with as yet not fully understood side effects? Or was there a different take-away message designed to build a frenzy of demand for the new "wonder weight-loss pill?"

The truth probably lies in the math. At the launch price of just over $100 for a one-month's supply of Acomplia, the "wonder-pill" seems highly unlikely to become the $5-billion-dollar-a-year blockbuster Sanofi is hoping for if it is prescribed only to "obese patients with serious metabolic and cardiometabolic risks."

The launch hype in Britain may also not help Sanofi in its efforts to get Acomplia to the market in the United States.

While Dehecq this week praised the European Medicines Agency for doing a "fantastic" job in reviewing and approving Acomplia more rapidly than the U.S. Food and Drug Administration, some observers believe this week's British headlines may further fuel the FDA's concerns about hastily approving another "wonder drug."