The battle of the bulge got bigger in the past week. First, Eisai announced Friday that it was adding 200 contract sales reps to tout the benefits of the prescription weight-loss drug Belviq. This means that 600 personnel will be able to talk to doctors about the benefits of the slimming drug, which, like competitor Qsymia by Vivus, works when accompanied by dietary and activity changes.
The enlarged sales force is expected to be active by July 1.
Then, Reuters reported Friday that generics maker Actavis wants to get into the Qsymia business and is using claims of invalid patents as part of its marketing application to make generics of the slimming drug, which has a 2020 patent expiration date attached to it.
