VIVUS says Qsymia prescriptions shipped rise to 12,978 for 4 weeks end Dec. 21

VIVUS disclosed in a regulatory filing that prescriptions shipped to patients for its weight loss drug Qsymia rose to 12,978 for the four weeks ending Dec. 21, 12 from 7,749 for the four weeks ending Nov. 23, 12. The company also upwardly revised its estimate for total prescriptions shipped for the four weeks ending Oct. 26, 2012 to 5,394 from the previously reported 4,904, stating that the adjustment is based on additional information provided from a certified prescribing pharmacy. The company said the data on Qsymia prescriptions shipped to patients is derived from data made available to the company from third parties and due to this and other factors, the data reported may be subject to adjustment should the company receive adjusted information from these third parties. VIVUS noted that on November 19, 2012, the company initiated the "Qsymia Get Started! Free Trial Offer Program" in two certified pharmacies and a third certified pharmacy began participating in this program in late December 2012. According to this program, the company is, for a limited time, offering to eligible patients a 14-capsule starting dose of Qsymia, 3.75 mg/23 mg, at no charge to the patient. After initiation of the program a significant portion of the prescriptions at the 3.75 mg/23 mg dose level were shipped at no charge from the participating certified pharmacies to the patient under this program. In pre-market trading, shares of VIVUS rose about 9.7% to $15.08.