Diet drug wins backing
US health advisers have recommended approval of the first new weight-loss pill in a decade, backing Orexigen Therapeutics Inc’s Contrave
US health advisers have recommended approval of the first new weight-loss pill in a decade, backing Orexigen Therapeutics Inc's Contrave
It was the last of a trio of new weight-loss drugs to come before regulators in 2010, the Food and Drug Administration having rejected two rival medicines in October.
The FDA panel of outside experts voted 13-7 that the weight-loss benefits seen with Contrave outweighed concerns about heart risks. The FDA usually follows panel recommendations. A final ruling is due by January 31st. Shares of Orexigen were halted while the panel met. The fate of Contrave is key to the California-based company, which focuses solely on obesity drugs and has no products on the market.
According to data from BioMedTracker, Contrave sales could reach $1.2bn by 2018. That figure would make it the top player in a US weight-loss drug market that sees just $382m in sales annually, according to IMS Health. Drugmakers seeking a pill to help people slim down have been thwarted for decades by serious side effects, and few options remain on the US market even though two out of three Americans are overweight or obese.
