Vivus () is a small pharmaceutical company headquartered in

Campbell, California Campbell is a city in Santa Clara County, California, in the San Francisco Bay Area. As of the 2020 U.S. Census, Campbell's population is 43,959. Campbell is home to the Pruneyard Shopping Center, a sprawling open-air retail complex which was i ...

, working in obesity, sleep, and sexual health. Vivus is developing an erectile dysfunction drug,

Avanafil Avanafil is a PDE5 inhibitor approved for erectile dysfunction by the FDA on April 27, 2012 and by EMA on June 21, 2013. Avanafil is sold under the brand names Stendra and Spedra. It was invented at Mitsubishi Tanabe Pharma, formerly known as Ta ...

, that has completed Phase 3 clinical trials. The drug has been approved for use by the FDA, and will be sold under the trademark name Stendra. Stendra is the first and only oral ED treatment approved to be taken approximately 15 minutes before sexual activity. A documentary movie " Orgasm Inc." was made at Vivus in 2009 to document the process of creating a treatment for

female sexual arousal disorder Female sexual arousal disorder (FSAD) is a disorder characterized by a persistent or recurrent inability to attain sexual arousal or to maintain arousal until the completion of a sexual activity. The diagnosis can also refer to an inadequate lu ...

(FSD). Vivus also developed an obesity drug, Qnexa (now called Qsymia), a combination of phentermine and topiramate, two existing weight-loss drugs. On July 17, 2012, The

U.S. Food and Drug Administration The United States Food and Drug Administration (FDA or US FDA) is a federal agency of the Department of Health and Human Services. The FDA is responsible for protecting and promoting public health through the control and supervision of food ...

approved Qsymia (

phentermine Phentermine ( phenyl- tertiary-butyl amine), with several brand names including Ionamin and Sentis, is a medication used together with diet and exercise to treat obesity. It is taken by mouth for up to a few weeks at a time, after which the ben ...

and

topiramate Topiramate, sold under the brand name Topamax among others, is a carbonic anhydrase inhibitor medication used to treat epilepsy and prevent migraines. It has also been used in alcohol dependence. For epilepsy this includes treatment for gener ...

extended-release Modified-release dosage is a mechanism that (in contrast to immediate-release dosage) delivers a drug with a delay after its administration (delayed-release dosage) or for a prolonged period of time (extended-release R, XR, XLdosage) or to a spe ...

), made by Vivus, as an addition to a reduced-calorie diet and exercise for chronic weight management. The drug was approved for use in adults with a body mass index (BMI) of 30 or greater (

obese Obesity is a medical condition, sometimes considered a disease, in which excess body fat has accumulated to such an extent that it may negatively affect health. People are classified as obese when their body mass index (BMI)—a person's we ...

) or adults with a BMI of 27 or greater ( overweight) who have at least one weight-related condition such as high blood pressure ( hypertension),

type 2 diabetes Type 2 diabetes, formerly known as adult-onset diabetes, is a form of diabetes mellitus that is characterized by high blood sugar, insulin resistance, and relative lack of insulin. Common symptoms include increased thirst, frequent urinatio ...

, or high cholesterol (

dyslipidemia Dyslipidemia is an abnormal amount of lipids (e.g. triglycerides, cholesterol and/or fat phospholipids) in the blood. Dyslipidemia is a risk factor for the development of atherosclerotic cardiovascular disease ( ASCVD). ASCVD includes coronary ar ...

). In 2016, the company was ranked #23 on the Deloitte Fast 500 North America list. In 2020, the company filed for bankruptcy protection.

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* Companies formerly listed on the Nasdaq Companies based in Campbell, California Pharmaceutical companies of the United States Health care companies based in California Companies that filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy in 2020 {{Med-company-stub