Orexigen(R) Therapeutics Issued a Key Fourth U.S. Patent on C...( SAN DIEGO Jan. 5 /- Orexigen(R) T...)

SAN DIEGO, Jan. 5 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- Orexigen(R) Therapeutics, Inc. (Nasdaq: OREX), a biopharmaceutical company focused on the treatment of obesity, today announced that the United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO) has issued a patent for what the Company refers to as the "Weber/Cowley methods patent" (U.S. Patent No. 7,462,626), which provides coverage for Contrave(R), the Company's lead obesity product candidate now in Phase 3 clinical trials.

The patent broadly covers methods of treating obesity with combinations of bupropion and naltrexone, the two active agents in Contrave. It is a companion to the Weber/Cowley composition patent (U.S. Patent No. 7,375,111) which was issued by the USPTO in May 2008 and broadly covers sustained release (SR) compositions of bupropion and naltrexone combined in a single dosage form. The Weber/Cowley methods patent will provide protection for Contrave through mid 2024.

"The issuance of this patent adds another layer of protection for Contrave, which we believe enhances its net present value," said Eckard Weber, M.D., the Company's Interim President and CEO. "Contrave is now protected by four patents that we believe will provide broad intellectual property coverage."

About Contrave(R)

Contrave is an investigational oral weight loss medication with a mechanism of action that works at two levels within the central nervous system: one that controls the balance of food intake and metabolism and another which controls food preference and cravings (also known as the reward center). In fact, we believe that Contrave may be the first treatment for obesity to target these reward centers. In clinical trials, Contrave is believed to initiate and sustain significant weight loss over one year of treatment we believe by reducing appetite, increa
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