PARIS (Reuters) - French drugmaker Sanofi said on Tuesday that its experimental diabetes drug lixisenatide has been accepted for review by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration.

The U.S. brand name for the drug, known as Lyxumia in Europe, is under consideration, Sanofi said in a statement.

Sanofi is set to launch the treatment in the European Union at the end of the first quarter of 2013 after receiving approval on February 4.

(Reporting by Elena Berton; Editing by Kim Coghill)