Quick-fix obesity miracle drug?

When it comes to obesity, the belief has been that there's no such thing as a quick fix.

But that may soon change.

President Peter Tam of Mountain View-based Vivus, a Silicon Valley biotech company believes he may have come up with what could be the next blockbuster drug. He said, "We believe we have the first product that actually treats the cause of these diseases."

Called "Qnexa," it's a once-daily pill to fight high blood pressure, diabetes, high cholesterol and obesity.

"So far, all the treatments that are available right now are able to achieve 3% to 5% of weight loss...We are the first treatment that is capable of achieving 10% to 15%weight loss within one year,” Tam said.

Qnexa still needs final FDA approval before it can be sold. Vivus said it expects to hear by October.

With an estimated $150 billion a year spent to fight obesity, a pill like Qnexa could make a huge difference.

"It's really about making the patient better, feeling better about himself, living a better life, free of these weight-related diseases, that's what drives us to work hard 24/7, pretty much over the past year," Tam said.

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