In this segment of the weekly health-care show, analyst David Williamson explains why investors need to have Arena Pharmaceuticals (NASDAQ: ARNA ) on their radar. Watch and find out how a big EU approval decision, DEA scheduling, and the first quarter sales report of competitor Vivus's (NASDAQ: VVUS ) Qsymia could impact the stock in the coming weeks.
Who will win the obesity drug market?
Can VIVUS pick up its lagging sales and fend off the competition, or will Arena Pharmaceuticals reign supreme in the obesity space? If you're in the dark, grab copies of The Motley Fool's premium research reports on VIVUS and Arena Pharmaceuticals to stay up to date. Senior biotech analyst Brian Orelli gives investors the must-know information, including an in-depth look at the obesity market, and reasons to buy and sell both stocks. Click now for an exclusive look at Arena and VIVUS -- complete with a full year of free updates -- today.
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Report this Comment On April 14, 2013, at 12:02 AM, ReasonableRisk wrote:
While Europe is no slam dunk, but when it happens, expect a major short squeeze and it could come the week of April 22.
The issues in questions to Arena were the same ones the FDA had and which Arena was able to show were statistically insignificant or that Belviq actually helped. E.g., patients with preexisting valvulopathy improved 19% over the placebo group.
Sales for Belivq will be much better than for Qsymia. I am saddened that people still compare them in the same breadth. They are very different in their safety profile and most factors affecting marketability. This can be visualized in a side-by-side comparison found here:
http://seekingalpha.com/article/1311901-should-anti-obesity-...?
A recent analysis found that the Qsymia formulation of 2 generic drugs never had a chance. The idea for Q appears to have come from bariatric physicians who have a long-standing practice of prescribing the parts of Q on the cheap. Changing that practice to sell Q will only cost them. Since Q contains phentermine, an amphetamine, other doctors appear reluctant to prescribe it.
Understanding why the door is wide open for Belviq and not to Qsymia is easily understood after reading research in the journal "Obesity" entitled, "How physician Obesity specialists Use Drugs to treat Obesity" at
http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1038/oby.2009.69/pdf
If investors did, they would buy ARNA because Belviq fits in with doctor practices whereas Qsymia does not. Q will have a time and place, but I would not expect it for at another year.
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