VVUS: Vivus, Inc. Instablogs

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Thursday, May 16, 12:45 PM Vivus (VVUS -3.3%) slips today after pricing its $220M private placement of convertible senior unsecured notes due May 1, 2020. The notes will bear interest at a fixed annual rate of 4.50%, payable semiannually in arrears on May 1 and November 1 of each year, beginning on November 1, 2013. The net proceeds from the offering are expected to be approximately $213M. Comment! [Healthcare, On the Move]
Wednesday, May 15, 2:06 PM Vivus (VVUS -3%) slips today after earlier announcing an aggregate $200M offering of convertible senior unsecured notes due May 1, 2020. It also intends to grant the initial purchasers a 30-day option to purchase up to an additional $30M. The company plans to use a portion of the net proceeds to pay the cost of a capped call transaction, and the remainder for continued development and commercialization of its products. 2 Comments [Healthcare, On the Move]
Tuesday, May 14, 1:50 PM Vivus (VVUS +1.9%) continues to trade higher this week on hopes the company may partner with Big Pharma to expand access to the obesity drug Qsymia (I, II). Nevertheless, some, like Lazard's Joshua Schimmer, say the reality is that demand for the drug has so far proven tepid and VVUS "needs to find commercial success … or significantly reduce costs in order to slow the current cash outflow" — operating expenses rose 208% Y/Y in Q1. Lazard downgrades the shares to Neutral from Buy. Comment! [Healthcare, On the Move]
Monday, May 13, 8:06 AM Vivus (VVUS) rises 2.6% premarket after sending a "business update" letter to shareholders outlining its progress on expanding access to its obesity drug Qsymia. The company reiterates some of the points made on the CC saying it is in discussions with Big Pharma regarding increasing the product's reach and notes the drug will be available at certified pharmacies by mid-July. Ultimately, VVUS says that with a combination of expanded access and reimbursement, Qsymia can be "a top-selling drug." (PR) 3 Comments [Healthcare, On the Move]
Wednesday, May 8, 1:09 PM Vivus (VVUS +8.2%) pops despite posting a Q1 miss as sales of its weight-loss drug Qsymia came in lighter than analysts' expectations. The company wrote off $5.77M due to expired inventory, making it glaringly apparent that Qsymia's launch isn't going as planned. However, in its call, CEO Leland Wilson commented that the company is beginning discussions with large pharmaceutical companies in order to "significantly expand commercialization efforts." Wilson says VVUS has a target of mid-July to bring Qsymia into retail pharmacies. Read more on its earnings call here: Earnings Call Transcript. Comment! [Healthcare, Earnings, On the Move]
Wednesday, May 8, 9:17 AM Premarket gainers: ALXA +51%. PSE +19%. LEDR +16%. NBG +11%. WFM +8%. EA +6%. PRTS +6%. SFUN +6%. CTSH +5%.
Losers: FIO -22%. VCLK -19%. OCLR -19%. AXLL -9%. CIE -7%. CHRW -7%. SODA -6%. DDD -6%. SYMC -5%. Z -5%. VVUS -5%. Comment! [On the Move]
Wednesday, May 8, 7:39 AM Vivus (VVUS): Q1 EPS of -$0.53 misses by $0.01. Revenue of $4.11M misses by $1.11M. (PR) Comment! [Earnings, Breaking News, Healthcare]
Wednesday, May 8, 12:05 AM Notable earnings before Wednesday’s open: AOL, ARQL, CTSH, CWH, DTEGY.PK, ENB, EZCH, FSYS, FUN, KRO, LMCA, LSE, MPEL, NAVB, NICE, POZN, SODA, STWD, THI, TTI, VVUS, WEN, WMC Comment! [Earnings]
Tuesday, May 7, 5:30 PM Notable earnings before Wednesday’s open: AOL, ARQL, CTSH, CWH, DTEGY.PK, ENB, EZCH, FSYS, FUN, KRO, LMCA, LSE, MPEL, NAVB, NICE, POZN, SODA, STWD, THI, TTI, VVUS, WEN, WMC Comment! [Earnings]
Tuesday, April 30, 11:21 AM Vivus (VVUS +2.2%) says that Qsymia has been added to Medco's national formulary in a tier-3 position with a prior authorization. According to Leerink Swann, the deal essentially converts Qsymia reimbursement from the non-covered to the covered position, and is potentially more important than the previous deal VVUS inked with Express Scripts. 1 Comment [Healthcare, On the Move]
Friday, April 26, 11:12 AM Medivation (MDVN +0.6%) and Astellas Pharma (ALPMF.PK) say the Committee for Medicinal Products for Human Use (CHMP) has recommended approval for the oral androgen receptor inhibitor XTANDI (approved in the U.S.) for adult men with progressed metastatic castration-resistant prostate cancer. Other CHMP news: Pfizer's (PFE -1.1%) arthritis pill Xeljanz is rejected (appeal to come), Roche (RHHBY.OB +0.2%) and Curis' (CRIS +4.5%) Erivedge for basal cell carcinoma gets a recommendation, and Vivus' (VVUS +3.7%) ED drug Spedra gets a positive review. (See also: AVNR and CELG get thumbs up from EU regulators) 1 Comment [Healthcare, On the Move]
Friday, April 19, 8:24 AM Vivus (VVUS) rises 5.4% premarket after saying in an 8K that sales of Qsymia rose 29% in March. The company now reports Qsymia shipments by the calendar month: January 16,733; February 18,417; March 23,812. Comment! [Healthcare, On the Move]
Tuesday, April 16, 2:41 PM Vivus (VVUS +5%) spikes as the FDA approves its amendment and modification to the Risk Evaluation and Mitigation Strategy for Qsymia. The amendment, which was submitted last October, allows Qsymia to be dispensed through certified retail pharmacies in addition to the existing network of certified mail-order pharmacies, which reduces the prescribing burden for physicians and waiting times for patients seeking to initiate therapy. 5 Comments [Healthcare, On the Move]
Tuesday, April 9, 4:13 PM Shares of Vivus (VVUS +3.5%) finish solidly in the green today as investors continue to expect Risk Evaluation and Mitigations Strategy modification for Qsymia. Cowen specutlates that many shorts are covering positions ahead of the decision. As of the end of March, over 26M shares, or 26% of the float, was being held short. Comment! [Healthcare, On the Move]
Thursday, March 28, 5:21 PM Bacteria that live in the gut change after gastric-bypass surgery and may aid in weight loss, according to a recent study. Gastric surgery helps people lose weight by shrinking the size of the stomach and making it tougher to absorb calories, now scientists think it may also adjust gastrointestinal bacteria, contributing to weight loss and raising the possibility for less-drastic obesity treatment. 7 Comments [Healthcare]
Wednesday, March 27, 10:46 AM Leerink Swann maintains Outperform on Vivus (VVUS -1.4%), price target $19-20. Management is making the right move to push out financing risk, says analyst Marko Kozul, who also notes that the "non-dilutive deal … helps mitigate previous higher than- anticipated spending on building the obesity market." (See: VVUS avoids dilution) Comment! [Healthcare]

VVUS Vivus, Inc.

VVUS

Vivus, Inc.