Obese Lose 14% of Weight on Novel Combo Drug

The latter combines bupropion with naltrexone (Vivitrol), a drug used for narcotic addiction and alcohol dependency. It is in phase III trials, and the company aims to submit a new drug application to the FDA for Contrave late next year. In addition to Dr. Tollefson, the investigators included the founder of Orexigen and a vice president of the company.

If adding diet and exercise can bring average weight loss to 20%, that would be comparable to bariatric surgery. DR. TOLLEFSON