Vivus says it asked FDA for marketing approval of its obesity drug candidate Qnexa

Vivus files for approval of obesity drug Qnexa

MOUNTAIN VIEW, Calif. — Drugmaker Vivus Inc. said Tuesday it asked regulators to approve its drug candidate Qnexa as a treatment for obesity.

Vivus said it has filed a new drug application with the Food and Drug Administration. A week ago, competitor Arena Pharmaceuticals Inc. said it filed for approval of its own experimental obesity drug, lorcaserin. Orexigen Therapeutics plans to request marketing approval for its product Contrave in the first half of 2010.

Vivus reported positive results from two late-stage clinical trials of Qnexa in September. Qnexa, lorcaserin and Contrave32 could all reach the market around the same time, and some analysts say they believe Qnexa could be the top seller of the group based on the weight loss observed in clinical testing.

In afternoon trading, Vivus shares fell 23 cents, or 2.4 percent, to $9.44.