Which biotechs are the least efficient?

SmartTrend has looked at the biotech industry to determine which companies are the least efficient. Using revenue per employee (RPE)--a ratio useful when comparing a company against others in its industry--SmartTrend found the five public companies that have the lowest efficiency relative to the size of their workforce. As is the case for many biotechs, these companies have little or no revenue but have spent million of dollars--and multiple years--moving drugs through the clinical trials...

Orexigen weight-loss drug shows positive results in study

Results from COR-I, one of the Phase III trials supporting the NDA for Orexigen Therapeutics' (NASDAQ: OREX) weight-loss drug Contrave, show that patients taking the drug were two to three times more likely to lose at least 5 or 10 percent of their body weight compared with those taking placebo. The study results have been published online in the journal Lancet.   Treatment with Contrave also resulted in significant improvements versus...

Spotlight shifts to Vivus’ Qnexa

Few developers have enjoyed the kind of attention that's been lavished on the three biotech companies seeking approval for their new obesity drugs. The focus will hit fever pitch Thursday when an FDA advisory panel steps up to review Vivus' (NASDAQ: VVUS) Qnexa. All the developers--including Orexigen (NASDAQ: OREX) and Arena (NASDAQ: ARNA)--have a lot riding on the outcome. As the Wall Street Journal explains, the agency plans to review each of the drugs as candidates for...

Orexigen enjoys a bump for its badly beaten shares

Over the course of the year, shares of Orexigen (OREX) have been hammered on just about every step it takes toward a regulatory decision on its obesity drug, Contrave, one of a slate of new weight-loss drugs being advanced in a foot race with Vivus and Arena. Yesterday, though, the developer had a chance to bask in the warmth of positive data reflecting the drug's potential for diabetes and depression. Its stock, down 36 percent on the year, jumped as high as 16 percent. "It...

New diabetes data highlights promising drug class

Aside from the closely-watched taspoglutide data, a slew of new reports came out of the ADA meeting on experimental diabetes drugs. Here's a sampling of the top news stories: Boehringer Ingelheim laid out data from five trials of its diabetes drug linagliptin, demonstrating lowered blood glucose compared to a placebo. Boehringer is hopeful that the therapy can compete against Januvia and Onglyza after proving that the DPP-4 inhibitor works effectively without having to adjust the dose to...

Orexigen lands panel review as obesity drug race heats up

Orexigen Therapeutics (OREX) is getting an expert panel at the FDA to review its obesity drug Contrave. Long a subject of intense speculation in the blogosphere, the agency says that its advisory panel will sit down to review the drug on December 7, well ahead of its January 31st PDUFA date. "We look forward to the opportunity to present the findings from the Contrave clinical program and demonstrate the potential value of Contrave in treating patients with obesity," said Michael Narachi,...

Orexigen revises obesity drug’s positive results

Orexigen's stock price slipped on news that results from a Phase III trial of its anti-obesity drug Contrave weren't as positive as originally reported. The company had said that 56.3 percent of patients taking Contrave lost 5 percent or more of their body weight, but that number was actually 50.5. Additionally, only 28.3 percent of users lost more than 10 percent of their weight, down from 32.9 percent. The incorrect numbers were the result of a clerical error. Orexigen was quick to...