First one across the finish line

Looks like Arena is ready to makes its attempt at being the first of the three main developers (Arena, Orexigen, and Vivus) to get a new weight loss drug approved by the FDA. Yesterday, they took the first step and submitted the NDA for Lorcaserin to the FDA for an approval...the waiting game begins now. You can rest assured that not only will Vivus and Orexigen be watching closely, but also the myriad investors interested in the outcome of this submission. As I mentioned earlier, I like Arena's long term chances with Lorcaserin, but now we get really get to see what happens.

See the Market Watch report for more

While we're on obesity meds, Shionogi remains a potential contender behind the other three companies mentioned above with its pursuit of velneperit as a weight loss agent. As mentioned in this article, velneperit has had a rough road with little real success, but Shionogi seems to be intent on pushing the drug through as either a monotherapy or adjunct weight loss treatment. Some things never die and it looks like this is another example of that adage...

Cephalon is providing a good example of how manufacturers rein in customers for new drugs as patents for old drugs expire: they are raising the price on provigil to encourage patients to purchase their newly approved drug for the same indication (more or less), nuvigil. It's not a new strategy by any means, but it is an effective one, and expect this trend to continue until a generic version of provigil is available in a couple years. Until that happens, you can be sure that Cephalon will continue to reap profits from this effective wakefulness promoting agent.

Cephalon Press Release Here


To wrap things up: what in the world is going on with these Swine Flu vaccines? First Sanofi recalls a big batch of its H1N1 vaccine, now MedIummune is doing the same thing. Coincidence? Who knows, but I think not...expect more info as the investigation continues...

Read all about it here