Doubling up vs. obesity
Orexigen Therapeutics Inc. believes that the joint mechanisms of action of its Contrave, which pairs depression and smoking cessation drug bupropion with alcohol dependency drug naltrexone, could overcome the "plateau" effect seen in monotherapies to treat obesity. Last week, the company announced positive data from a Phase II/III trial.
Bupropion is a norepinephrine dopamine reuptake inhibitor (NDRI) marketed as Wellbutrin and Zyban for depression and smoking cessation, respectively, by GlaxoSmithKline plc (LSE:GSK; GSK, London, U.K.). Naltrexone is an opioid receptor antagonist that is marketed in an extended-release formulation as Vivitrol by Alkermes Inc. (ALKS, Cambridge, Mass.) and Cephalon Inc. (CEPH, Frazer, Penn.) to treat alcohol dependence. Orexigen believes it can leverage the behavior-modifying effects of both compounds to treat obesity, an indication the company said is surprisingly similar to addiction disorders. ...