VIVUS, Inc. Loss Grows to $57 Million Due to Weight Loss Drug Sales Costs
Vivus Inc., which sells an FDA-approved weight loss drug called Qsymia, lost $56.7 million in the fourth quarter of 2012, up from a loss of $11.5 million a year earlier. The higher costs of selling Qsymia, along with associated general and administrative expenses, pushed up the company's loss. This latest loss pushed Vivus' accumulated deficit -- how much money it has lost or written off since it started -- to $486,146,000, close to half a billion dollars. Sales, however, which were zero in the fourth quarter a year ago, rose to $1.97 million in the most recent quarter. For the year ended December, Vivus (NASDAQ: VVUS) lost $139.9 million on sales of $2.01 million.