Shire's Vyvanse first FDA-approved drug for binge eating

The US Food and Drug Administration on Friday approved UK drugmaker Shire’s (LSE: SHP) Vyvanse (lisdexamfetamine dimesylate) capsules (CII), the first and only medication for the treatment of moderate to severe binge eating disorder (BED) in adults, shown to significantly reduce the mean number of binge days per week.

Vyvanse - approved in 2007 as a once-daily medication to treat attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) and generated sales of more than $1 billion in the first nine months of 2014 - is not indicated or recommended for weight loss or the treatment of obesity. Other sympathomimetic drugs used for weight loss have been associated with serious cardiovascular reactions. Vyvanse was reviewed under the FDA’s priority review program.

Sales expectations