Orexigen claims success in weight-loss trial

Orexigen Therapeutics says that a mid-stage trial of its weight-loss drug generated a statistically significant response compared to placebos. The study involving 620 patients concluded that the group taking its zonisamide-based formulation experienced an average 8.6 percent reduction in weight compared to a 1.1 percent drop in weight for the placebo group. Its shares were buoyed by the news.

"These trial results illustrate that we can delay the early weight loss plateau often seen with dieting and many existing pharmaceutical approaches and also improve tolerability with a sustained release formulation of zonisamide," said Orexigen CEO Gary Tollefson, M.D., Ph.D. "If the magnitude of weight loss evident in this trial continues to be seen, we believe that Empatic may be particularly useful in severely obese individuals."

- check out the release
- here's the AP report for more information

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