SAN DIEGO, June 17 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- Orexigen® Therapeutics, Inc. (Nasdaq: OREX), a biopharmaceutical company focused on the treatment of obesity, today announced that the U.S. Food and Drug Administration has assigned a Prescription Drug User Fee Act (PDUFA) action date of January 31, 2011 for the review of the Contrave® (naltrexone sustained release (SR)/bupropion SR) New Drug Application (NDA). The Company had announced on June 1, 2010 that the FDA accepted the Contrave NDA filing for review. The NDA is based on a substantial body of evidence gathered through the Contrave Obesity Research (COR) clinical program, which included over 4,500 patients.

"It's an exciting year for Orexigen as we move through the review process of the Contrave NDA," said Michael Narachi, President and CEO of Orexigen. "We believe that if approved, Contrave will become an important therapeutic option for obese patients, making weight loss and weight maintenance an achievable cornerstone in the treatment of obesity and its common co-morbidities."

About Contrave

Contrave is an investigational combination therapy believed to address both physiological and behavioral drivers of obesity. The two components of this combination therapy act in a complementary manner in the central nervous system. The central pathways targeted by this treatment are involved in controlling the balance of food intake and metabolism, and regulating reward-based eating behavior. In clinical trials, Contrave was shown to help obese patients initiate and sustain significant weight loss, improve important markers of cardiometabolic risk and increase ability to control eating.

About Orexigen Therapeutics

Orexigen Therapeutics, Inc. is a biopharmaceutical company focused on the treatment of obesity. Further information about the Company can be found at www.orexigen.com.

Forward-Looking Statements

Orexigen cautions you that statements included in this press release that are not a description of historical facts are forward-looking statements. Words such as "believes," "anticipates," "plans," "expects," "indicates," "will," "intends," "potential," "suggests," "assuming," "designed" and similar expressions are intended to identify forward-looking statements. These statements are based on the Company's current beliefs and expectations. These forward-looking statements include statements regarding the anticipated action date for the FDA to complete its review of the Contrave NDA, the potential for, and timing of, approval for Contrave and the Company's belief that this product candidate may be an important therapeutic option in the treatment of obesity. The inclusion of forward-looking statements should not be regarded as a representation by Orexigen that any of its plans will be achieved. Actual results may differ from those set forth in this release due to the risk and uncertainties inherent in the Orexigen business, including, without limitation: the potential for the FDA to delay the scheduled PDUFA action date of January 31, 2011 due to the FDA's internal resource constraints or other reasons; the uncertainty of the FDA approval process and other regulatory requirements; the FDA may not agree with the Company's interpretation of efficacy and safety results; the FDA may require Orexigen to complete additional clinical, non-clinical or other requirements prior to the approval of the Contrave NDA; the therapeutic and commercial value of Contrave; reliance on third parties to assist with the development of Contrave; the potential for adverse safety findings relating to Contrave; and other risks described in the Company's filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission. You are cautioned not to place undue reliance on these forward-looking statements, which speak only as of the date hereof, and Orexigen undertakes no obligation to revise or update this news release to reflect events or circumstances after the date hereof. Further information regarding these and other risks is included under the heading "Risk Factors" in the Company's Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q, which was filed with the Securities Exchange Commission on May 10, 2010 and is available from the SEC's website (www.sec.gov) and on our website (www.orexigen.com) under the heading "Investor Relations". All forward-looking statements are qualified in their entirety by this cautionary statement. This caution is made under the safe harbor provisions of Section 21E of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995.

SOURCE Orexigen Therapeutics, Inc.