Vivus initiates second Ph III Qnexa trial

US drugmaker Vivus has initiated the second of two pivotal Phase III studies of its investigational drug, Qnexa, in overweight and obese patients with comorbidities including hypertension, dyslipidemia, or type 2 diabetes. The CONQUER study will enroll patients with a Body Mass Index ranging from 27 to 45, including patients with type 2 diabetes regardless of BMI. The co-primary endpoints for these studies will evaluate the differences between therapies from baseline to the end of the treatment period, in mean percent weight loss and in the percentage of subjects achieving weight loss of 5% or more.

"Qnexa is a potentially important new treatment alternative for obese patients who are coping with serious weight-related medical conditions. Current treatments for obesity do not cause sufficient weight loss to cause a clinically meaningful reduction in these co-morbidities. In the Phase II studies, patients treated with Qnexa were able to achieve the level of weight loss, and improvement in lipids, blood pressure and other risk factors that suggest a substantial potential for benefit in the CONQUER study," said Arthur Frank, chairman of Vivus' Qnexa scientific advisory board.