Vivus obesity drug Qnexa provides substantial cardiovascular benefits

USA-based Vivus (Nasdaq: VVUS), which is still struggling to get US Food and Drug Administration of its obesity drug candidate Qnexa (phentermine/topiramate; The Pharma Letter January 24), has  announced long-term data that demonstrated patients treated with the investigational drug for two years showed reductions in blood pressure and the use of antihypertensive medications as well as improvements in lipid levels following significant reductions in weight loss as compared to those in the placebo group over two years.

Vivus, which saw its shares rise as much as13% on the news yesterday, has a potential upside of 47.1% based on a current price of $7.17 and an average consensus analyst price target of $10.56, note analysts at Zacks Equity Research. Vivus is currently below its 50-day moving average of $7.18 and below its 200-day MA of $7.40, they added.

The data - additional results from the SEQUEL study - were presented at the 60th Annual Scientific Meeting of the American College of Cardiology by Michael Davidson, clinical professor and director of preventive cardiology at The University of Chicago. The results could help support Vivus’ approval applications, because the FDA has expressed concerns about heart risks and birth defects associated with Qnexa.