VVUS

Vivus, Inc.

A California biopharmaceutical company, Vivus develops medicines for serious, long-term conditions. Its products include Qsymia, a weight-management pill for adults and older children; Pancreaze, which helps people with cystic fibrosis and other conditions digest food; and Stendra, an erectile-dysfunction treatment. Founded in 1991, the company takes its name from the Latin word "vivus," meaning "alive" or "living." Qsymia had a famously rocky road: the FDA first rejected it in 2010 over safety worries, then approved it in 2012 as the first new weight-loss drug in over a decade.