Arena Pharmaceuticals, Inc., Eisai Company, Ltd. Weight-Loss Drug Unlikely to Cause Brain Tumors

Arena Pharmaceuticals Inc. (ARNA) and Eisai Co. said a study showed that concentrations of their weight-loss pill were lower in human brains than in rat models, a finding that may ease concerns that the drug may be linked to brain tumors. The U.S. Food and Drug Administration last October rejected the medicine, lorcaserin, for marketing approval and requested more data after a rat study showed a possible link to brain tumors. San Diego-based Arena and Tokyo-based Eisai plan to submit the study to the FDA to support an application for approval.