Analysts eye generic threat as Vivus rolls out Qsymia

Vivus ($VVUS) has won an early weight-loss race in the marketplace. The company launched its Qsymia treatment, beating competitor Arena Pharmaceuticals' ($ARNA) Belviq by several months. But will it come out on top in the most important one--the contest for prescriptions and sales? Qsymia is a combination of two older drugs--phentermine and topiramate--both of which are available as cheap generics. Analysts have also pointed out that doctors could choose to prescribe the two components as generics, rather than use the much more expensive brand. Report