The business world is always looking for new ways to address the ever-growing obesity epidemic in America. Here's a rundown of the next round of potential slimming strategies, and the companies whose success could fatten up investors' returns.
After the U.S. Food and Drug Administration rejected two other weight-loss pills earlier this year, an advisory panel has recommended the approval of Orexigen Therapeutics's Contrave. If the FDA follows the recommendation, Contrave could become the first diet drug to win approval in a decade.
Allergan's Lap-Band, a device implanted in the stomach to limit the amount of food that can be ingested, is already on the market to help the very obese lose weight. But now the company hopes to win approval for less obese patients to use the band.
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.
An expert panel will review Vivus' potential blockbuster drug Qnexa on Thursday, with the FDA making a decision in October. The FDA acknowledges the drug's effectiveness in cutting weight, but Qnexa will certainly draw scrutiny over its side effects.
