VIVUS, Inc. (VVUS): This Obesity Bet Just Became More Attractive

As opposed to Arena, Vivus has taken a beating after poor sales results of Qsymia. However, a recent filling shows that sales are finally picking up. According to data released by the company, shipments for the period ending 12/21/12 were 12,978 as compared to 7,749 in the previous period, an increase of approx. 68%.

The company has also released data for its study on the effect of Qsymia on weight loss. According to company disclosures, the study shows that treatment with Qsymia led to significant improvements in blood pressure, triglycerides and cholesterol in obese patients suffering from one or more of these ailments. Moreover, the positive effects were even more exaggerated in patients who lost 10% or greater weight during the treatment.

According to an investigator in the study, Suzanne Oparil, M.D. (Director of the Vascular Biology and Hypertension Program, University of Alabama at Birmingham):

“This provides clear evidence that patients with hypertension or high cholesterol treated with Qsymia for one year experienced significant weight loss and clinically meaningful improvements in their underlying cardiovascular risk factors.”

This should be exciting news for Vivus investors because it gives doctors more reason to recommend weight loss drugs to their obese patients. I reiterate my buy rating on Vivus due to my belief that Vivus has a greater ability to reduce weight as compared to alternatives, and new studies should reduce doctor reluctance in prescribing the drug.

The article This Obesity Bet Just Became More Attractive originally appeared on Fool.com and is written by Mohsin Saeed.

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