Obesity Reset

Even after FDA rejected the advice of its advisory committee and requested a cardiovascular outcomes trial of Orexigen Inc.'s Contrave bupropion/naltrexone to treat obesity, companies with earlier stage programs remain hopeful they will be able to avoid the issues that have now prevented three late stage compounds from reaching the market.

There are no other obesity compounds under review or in Phase III testing in the U.S. or Europe. But there are more than 50 obesity candidates against at least a dozen targets in preclinical through Phase II development (see "Obesity Opportunities," A3)...