VIVUS reaffirms commitment to combatting global obesity crisis on World Obesity Day 2025 with VIVUS For Life
CAMPBELL, Calif., March 04, 2025 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- VIVUS, LLC., a biopharmaceutical company committed to the development and commercialization of innovative therapies that focus on advancing treatments for patients with serious unmet medical needs, today announced a global initiative, VIVUS For Life, to promote sustainable and healthy weight management. VIVUS recognizes the crucial role of nutrition and food science in effective weight management. With food quality, ingredients, and processing influencing health and long-term weight outcomes worldwide, this initiative aims to address these challenges by advancing science-backed, sustainable solutions for lasting weight management.
“As a former chef and healthcare leader, I’ve seen firsthand how food, medicine, and science intersect in shaping long-term health outcomes,” said John Amos, Chief Executive Officer at VIVUS LLC. “Sustainable weight management is about more than just the number on the scale—it’s about helping people build healthier lives with solutions that are effective and lasting.”
Launched on World Obesity Day, VIVUS For Life serves as a pivotal moment for coordinated action against the obesity crisis. This year’s theme, “Changing Systems, Healthier Lives,” highlights the complexity and global impact of obesity, calling on health organizations, governments, food systems, media, and the environments where we live and work to unite for a healthier future.
“As an obesity care advocate for 16 years, maintaining a 245-pound weight loss through multimodal therapy, I understand the complexity of systems and the resiliency needed to continue getting the medical, nutritional, and behavioral supports critical for the complex and chronic disease with which I live,” said Amber Huett-Garcia, World Obesity Federation, Board of Trustees, Lived-Experience Representative. “I know my advocacy has improved systems, but we need companies and campaigns like this in the fight with us, using their influential platforms for accelerated progress. I’m thrilled to see the narrative shift to systemic changes needed to address obesity and thank them for standing with the millions of people living with obesity on World Obesity Day and beyond.”
“This campaign is close to my heart as I’ve experienced the challenges of weight management firsthand,” said Melissa Shields, Vice President, Global Marketing & Analytics at Vivus LLC. “Through my travels and exposure to diverse food cultures, I’ve noticed a stark contrast between the way food is produced and consumed in the U.S. compared to other parts of the world. These differences seem to align with variations in weight trends and overall health. VIVUS For Life seeks to explore how nutrition, food science, and sustainable solutions can support lasting, healthy weight management in a way that works long-term.”
VIVUS invites healthcare professionals, nutrition experts, food scientists, and culinary leaders to join this initiative in advancing sustainable weight management solutions. Together, we can empower individuals to achieve lasting, healthy weight loss and enhance long-term metabolic health. To learn more or collaborate, contact VIVUS at: VIVUSForLife@vivus.com.
By 2030, obesity is forecasted to affect one billion individuals globally, nearly doubling from 2020. Addressing this growing crisis requires more than just diet and exercise—it demands medical, nutritional, and behavioral solutions to support sustainable weight management. At the heart of this initiative is QSYMIA® (phentermine and topiramate extended-release capsules CIV)/ QSIVA® (phentermine and topiramate modified-release), a clinically proven, long-term weight management solution designed to help patients achieve and maintain healthy body weight through appetite regulation and metabolic balance.
About VIVUS
VIVUS is a biopharmaceutical company committed to the development and commercialization of innovative therapies that focus on advancing treatments for patients with serious unmet medical needs. For more information about the Company, please visit http://www.vivus.com.
About QSYMIA
QSYMIA is indicated in combination with a reduced-calorie diet and increased physical activity to reduce excess body weight and maintain weight reduction long term in adults and pediatric patients aged 12 years and older with obesity, and in adults with overweight in the presence of at least one weight-related comorbid condition.
The effect of QSYMIA on cardiovascular morbidity and mortality has not been established. The safety and effectiveness of QSYMIA in combination with other products intended for weight loss, including prescription drugs, over-the-counter drugs, and herbal preparations, have not been established.
For more information on QSYMIA, please visit https://QSYMIA.com/
About QSIVA
QSIVA (the European brand name for QSYMIA) is approved in Sweden, Denmark, Finland, Iceland, Norway, and Poland. QSIVA is indicated as an adjunct to a reduced-calorie diet and increased physical activity for chronic weight management in adults with an initial body mass index (BMI) of 30 kg/m2 or greater (obese) or 27 kg/m2 or greater (overweight) in the presence of at least one weight-related medical condition such as high blood pressure, type 2 diabetes, or high cholesterol. The effect of QSIVA on cardiovascular morbidity and mortality has not been established. The safety and effectiveness of QSIVA in combination with other products intended for weight loss, including prescription and over-the-counter drugs and herbal preparations, have not been established. For more information on QSIVA, please visit www.QSIVA.eu.
Important Safety Information for QSYMIA
Do not take QSYMIA if you are pregnant, planning to become pregnant, or become pregnant during QSYMIA treatment; have glaucoma; have thyroid problems (hyperthyroidism); are taking certain medicines called monoamine oxidase inhibitors (MAOIs) or have taken MAOIs in the past 14 days; are allergic to topiramate, sympathomimetic amines such as phentermine, or any of the ingredients in QSYMIA.
Common side effects of QSYMIA in adults include numbness or tingling in the hands, arms, feet, or face (paraesthesia), dizziness, changes in the way foods taste or loss of taste (dysgeusia), trouble sleeping (insomnia), constipation, and dry mouth. Common side effects of Qsymia in children aged 12 years and older include depression, dizziness, joint pain, fever, flu, and ankle sprain.
QSYMIA can cause serious side effects, including birth defects (cleft lip/cleft palate), increases in heart rate, visual field defects (independent of elevated intraocular pressure), suicidal thoughts or actions, serious eye problems, and severe rash with blisters and peeling skin. QSYMIA may slow the increase in height in children 12 years and older.
Important Safety Information for QSIVA
QSIVA (phentermine and topiramate modified-release) hard capsules is contraindicated in pregnancy and in women of childbearing potential who are not using effective methods of contraception; in patients with glaucoma; in hyperthyroidism; in patients receiving treatment or within 14 days following treatment with monoamine oxidase inhibitors; or in patients with hypersensitivity to sympathomimetic amines, topiramate, or any of the inactive ingredients in QSIVA.
QSIVA can cause fetal harm. It is recommended that patients who can become pregnant obtain a negative pregnancy test result before starting QSIVA treatment, perform monthly pregnancy testing, and use effective contraception while taking QSIVA. If a patient becomes pregnant while taking QSIVA, treatment should be discontinued immediately, and the patient should be informed of the potential hazard to the fetus.
The most common adverse reactions in adults are paraesthesia, dizziness, an altered or impaired sense of taste, insomnia, constipation, and dry mouth.
Forward-Looking Statements
Important Information and Cautionary Note Regarding Forward-Looking Statements
Certain statements in this press release are forward-looking within the meaning of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995, as amended, and/or covered by the “Bespeaks Caution” doctrine applied by the courts under the antifraud provisions of the federal securities laws, and other applicable provisions of the federal securities laws. Such forward-looking statements are based on current expectations, management’s beliefs and certain assumptions made by the Company’s management. These statements may be identified by the use of forward-looking words such as “will,” “shall,” “may,” “believe,” “expect,” “forecast,” “intend,” “anticipate,” “predict,” “should,” “plan,” “likely,” “opportunity,” “estimated,” and “potential,” and/or the negative use of these words or other similar words. All forward-looking statements included in this document are based on our current expectations, and the Company assumes no obligation to update any such forward-looking statements except to the extent otherwise required by law.
Forward-looking information about QSYMIA, including its potential benefits, approvals in potential markets outside the U.S. and anticipated product availability, involve substantial risks and uncertainties that could cause actual results to differ materially from those expressed or implied in this press release. Risks and uncertainties include, among other things, the uncertainties inherent in research and development, including the ability to meet anticipated clinical endpoints, commencement and/or completion dates for our clinical trials, regulatory submission dates, regulatory approval dates and/or launch dates, as well as the possibility of unfavorable new clinical data and further analyses of existing clinical data; the risk that clinical trial data are subject to differing interpretations and assessments by regulatory authorities; whether regulatory authorities will be satisfied with the design of and results from our clinical studies; whether and when drug applications may be filed in any other markets or approved, whether QSYMIA will be commercially successful; decisions by regulatory authorities impacting labeling, manufacturing processes, safety and/or other matters that could affect the availability or commercial potential of QSYMIA; uncertainties regarding the impact of COVID-19 on our business, operations, and financial results; and competitive developments.
The above factors, risks and uncertainties are difficult to predict, contain uncertainties that may materially affect actual results and may be beyond the Company’s control. New factors, risks and uncertainties emerge from time to time, and it is not possible for management to predict all such factors, risks and uncertainties. Although the Company believes that the assumptions underlying the forward-looking statements contained herein are reasonable, any of the assumptions could be inaccurate, and therefore any of these statements may prove to be inaccurate. In light of the significant uncertainties inherent in the forward-looking statements included herein, the inclusion of such information should not be regarded as a representation or warranty by the Company or any other person that the Company’s objectives and plans will be achieved. These forward-looking statements speak only as of the date such statements were made or any earlier date indicated, and the Company does not undertake any obligation to update or revise any forward-looking statements, whether as a result of new information, future events, changes in underlying assumptions or otherwise, unless otherwise required by law.
Contacts
VIVUS LLC
T: +1 (650) 934-5200
Media – FINN Partners
Glenn Silver
glenn.silver@finnpartners.com
T: +1 973-818-8198
