Contrave and a companion clinical program Excalia are rationally formulated, proprietary combinations of marketed CNS products. They are based on approaches to the treatment of obesity that apply Orexigen's proprietary approach to drug screening combined with the company's knowledge of how the brain regulates appetite, energy expenditure, food cravings, and in turn, body weight.
“Orexigen's unique approach to the treatment of obesity reflects the key role of the central nervous system in the regulation of appetite, food intake and weight,” said Orexigen President and CEO, Dr Gary Tollefson. “We approach obesity as a clinical condition in which the central nervous system contributes significantly to the development and persistence of weight gain.”
Obesity is associated with a heightened risk for a number of medical problems including cardiovascular disease, type II diabetes, sleep disorders and a shortened life expectancy. According to the Centers for Disease Control, two thirds of American adults are overweight and 30% are obese, meaning they are more than 20% over their ideal weight. In the United States the number of obese people is projected to reach 82 million Americans in the next five years.