With Sanofi's highly anticipated diet drug Acomplia (rimonabant) now on sale in Finland as well as Denmark, Germany, the U.K., one thing we keep hearing is the diet pill is considerably more expensive than expected in some places -- with prices varying considerably from pharmacy to pharmacy.

It is most expensive at present for people desperate to get the drug in the United States, where it has not been approved for sale by the Food and Drug Administration. An unknown number of overweight Americans appear to be buying Acomplia from online pharmacies, and having it mailed from Europe to the U.S.

While importing even FDA approved drugs into the United States is illegal, we have thus far had no reports of packages of Acomplia being intercepted and confiscated by the U.S. Customs.

However, American purchasers are paying dearly for the drug -- with some online pharmacies charging as much as 150 British pounds (more than $280) to ship a purchaser a 28-day supply of the drug.

But even when purchased at pharmacies in the U.K., Acomplia seems to be far more expensive than the world was originally led to believe when Sanofi announced a four-week supply of Acomplia would be priced in England at £55.20 ($100.30).

A number of British purchasers have emailed us asking where this £55 Acomplia can be found.

"When I bought it directly from a hospital pharmacy in London, it was £95
(almost $180)," one reader writes. "I asked why the pharmacy wasn't charging the stated £55 and was told, in essence, folks charge what they want."

We have had fewer reports of disparities in price from the continent, though Sanofi's announced prices in the three countries where it is now for sale have been higher slightly than the British price.

But a reader in Goettingen, Germany reports that she was able to purchase Acomplia at the Apoteke at Kaufpark for exactly the price announced for that country: 80.32 Euros ($102).

We would be interested in hearing from readers who believe they have paid either a surprisingly high or low price for Acomplia, including the name and location of the pharmacy where it was purchased. Please help your fellow readers by emailing us where and at what price you bought Acomplia.