An FDA panel of reviewers recommended that the administration expand approval for Allergan's Lap-Band, a weight-loss implant that currently is only available for the very obese, to those who are less obese.
Vivus shares are soaring this morning, even though the U.S. Food and Drug Administration rejected the drugmaker's obesity drug Qnexa yesterday. Investors are hoping that the FDA's rejection, which includes a request for more safety data -- not another clinical trial -- will lead to approval next year.
McDonald's has lost a $17,500 lawsuit from a former franchise manager in Brazil, who says he put on 65 pounds during his 12 years of working for the chain. The former employee blames the company's policy of mandatory food sampling and free employee lunches for his weight gain.
Drug and medical-device maker Abbott Laboratories announced Friday that it will voluntarily withdraw its controversial obesity drug Meridia, (sibutramine) from the U.S. market at the request of the FDA, due to concerns it increases the risk of heart attacks and strokes.
A new study from Columbia University finds that the reasons America is lagging other countries aren't the commonly cited obesity, smoking, traffic fatalities and homicide. Rather, the problem has been poor health care, or rather, a poor health care system.
Obesity is expensive. Each year, obese American men pay an additional $2,646 to carry their extra weight, while obese women pay $4,879. That's the surprising result of a new study on the individual cost of obesity.
Another diet drug, Arena Pharmaceuticals's Iorcaserin, appears to be in danger after a U.S. Food and Drug Administration advisory panel voted to reject it Thursday.
It's a busy day at the FDA today as panels meet to discuss two new drugs -- one to help weight loss and the other to combat drug addiction -- and decide whether to approve AstraZeneca's new blood thinner medication.
Among Tuesday's top stories for investors: How do dividend-paying stocks stack up against non-dividend-paying stocks? Is Facebook making it easier for stalkers? Are all hedge funds scams?
Orexigen jumped over 25% in premarket trading after announcing an exclusive partnership agreement potentially worth over $1 billion with Japan's Takeda Pharmaceutical to develop and commercialize Contrave, Orexigen's promising obesity drug.
Soda and processed-food makers insist that all sugars are the same. Yet with studies linking fructose to obesity, diabetes and, most recently, pancreatic cancer, big brands are quietly backing away from using corn-based high-fructose sweetener. Could it eventually become another tobacco-like liability?
