Vivus to Roll Out Key Obesity Drug Data

Obesity drug maker Vivus(VVUS Quote) is gearing up to release the first phase III data on its experimental weight loss drug ahead of an analyst meeting next week.

The pending results from two studies of Vivus' drug Qnexa is just the start of what promises to be an active 12 months in the race to develop the next generation of obesity drugs. Three small drug companies -- Vivus, Orexigen(OREX Quote) and Arena Pharmaceuticals(ARNA Quote) -- are all expected to release results from pivotal phase III clinical trials in 2009.

We live in fat world that is getting fatter, which has lured scores of drug companies to seek a lucrative treatment for obesity in the form of a simple pill. Unfortunately, currently marketed weight-loss pills aren't very effective or have particularly nasty side effects. The obesity drug market has also been beset with more serious safety issues like the heart damage caused by the popular "fen-phen" diet drug combination in the 1990s. ...