Weight loss drug Qnexa wins support of FDA advisory panel

Qnexa, Vivus

Weight loss drug, Qnexa won strong recommendation from the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) advisory panel despite being potentially risky for heart and birth related issues. The FDA is expected to make its decision in April.

According to the developer:

“Qnexa [kyoo-nek-suh] is an investigational drug candidate being developed to address weight loss, type 2 Diabetes and obstructive sleep apnea. Qnexa is a once-a-day, proprietary, oral, controlled-release formulation of low-dose phentermine and topiramate, which is designed to decrease appetite and increase satiety (the sense of feeling full), the two main mechanisms that impact eating behavior.”

Weight loss products are potentially a very lucrative business in the U.S. because about two third of American adult population is either obese or overweight. If approved, Qnexa is expected to bring $448 million in annual sales. Qnexa is developed by VIVUS, Inc.

VIVUS, based in Mountain View, California, is a biopharmaceutical company developing therapies to address obesity, sleep apnea, diabetes, and male sexual health. It is traded on NASDAQ under the STOCK symbol VVUS.

In addition to Vivus, two other companies, Orexigen Therapeutics Inc. and Arena Pharmaceuticals Inc., are also seeking FDA approval for weight loss drugs.

Currently, the FDA approved weight loss pills in the market are Xenical by Roche and Alli by GlaxoSmithKline.

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References

www.vivus.com

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