Orexigen Therapeutics

What Orexigen Therapeutics does

Currax Pharmaceuticals LLC, operating out of Brentwood, Tennessee and doing business as the successor to the delisted Orexigen Therapeutics, is a specialty biopharmaceutical company marketing FDA-approved therapies for chronic progressive diseases. Its portfolio is anchored by CONTRAVE (naltrexone HCl/bupropion HCl), an oral weight-management medication for adults with obesity or overweight with weight-related comorbidities, marketed internationally as MYSIMBA. The company also sells ONZETRA Xsail and TREXIMET for acute migraine and SILENOR for insomnia, giving it a multi-indication branded book across metabolic, neurological, and sleep disorders.

The business operates a multi-channel commercial model that combines traditional physician-driven prescription sales with a direct-to-consumer cash-pay infrastructure. Distribution runs through retail pharmacy, the GoodRx marketplace at a published cash price, the proprietary PeekDirect patient-access platform, and a federal employee program. Currax supplements prescription sales with TV advertising (the 'Cravings Don't Own Me' campaign) and digital DTC content, supported by a network of obesity advocacy partnerships (OAC, Obesity Medicine Association, EASO, STOP Obesity Alliance). A second FDA-approved manufacturing site secured in March 2025 underpins supply continuity for the core franchise.

Governance is led by CEO George Hampton with a bench of functional VPs across sales, business development, technical operations, HR, and legal. The company is privately held post its transition from the publicly traded Orexigen Therapeutics, and pursues a category-positioning strategy emphasizing obesity as an under-treated chronic disease — CEO commentary notes that 95% of the U.S. obesity population remains untreated — to differentiate CONTRAVE from injectable GLP-1 alternatives on grounds of oral administration, cardiovascular safety data, and access.

Name

Orexigen Therapeutics

Legal name

Currax Pharmaceuticals LLC

Website

https://orexigen.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

2002

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

101–250 employees

Short description

Currax Pharmaceuticals (formerly Orexigen Therapeutics) is a specialty biopharmaceutical company selling FDA-approved oral therapies — anchored by CONTRAVE for weight management — to patients with obesity, migraine, and insomnia through pharmacy, GoodRx, and proprietary DTC channels.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Prescription Pharmaceuticals

NAICS

Pharmaceutical Preparation Manufacturing (325412)

SIC

Pharmaceutical Preparations (2834)

akta.pro primary industry

Primary Care & General Medicine Pharmaceuticals (HLAIAAAA)

akta.pro secondary industry

Endocrinology & Reproductive Health Pharmaceuticals (incl. Women’s Health) (HLAIAAAJ)

Keywords

• Obesity pharmacotherapy
• Weight management drugs
• Migraine treatment medications
• Insomnia sleep aids
• Prescription pharmaceuticals

Headquarters

HQ city

La Jolla

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Hardware or Manufacturing

Cost components

Marketing or Sales, Supply Chain, Personnel, Technology or R&D, Operations

Revenue model

1. Pharmaceutical Product Sales: Sale of prescription pharmaceutical products including CONTRAVE (weight management), ONZETRA Xsail (migraine), SILENOR (insomnia), and TREXIMET (migraine). Revenue generated through prescription sales via pharmacy channels and direct-to-consumer cash pay options.
2. Cash-Pay Pharmacy Channel: CONTRAVE offered at new cash price via GoodRx marketplace, providing direct patient access without insurance requirements

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion3 records

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels8 records

Core offering

Orexigen Therapeutics, now operating as Currax Pharmaceuticals LLC, is a biopharmaceutical company that develops, manufactures, and commercializes FDA-approved prescription medications for chronic progressive diseases. Its portfolio includes CONTRAVE (naltrexone HCl/bupropion HCl) for weight management, ONZETRA Xsail and TREXIMET for acute migraine, and SILENOR for insomnia, sold through prescription pharmacy channels and direct-to-consumer platforms.

Product overview

Currax Pharmaceuticals operates as a pharmaceutical company offering an expanding portfolio of FDA-approved therapies for chronic progressive diseases. The company's product portfolio centers on four core branded medications: CONTRAVE (naltrexone HCl/bupropion HCl) for weight management and obesity, marketed as MYSIMBA internationally; ONZETRA Xsail and TREXIMET for acute migraine treatment; and SILENOR for insomnia. The portfolio addresses metabolic health (obesity/weight management), neurological conditions (migraines), and sleep disorders. The company also operates a direct-to-consumer platform PeekDirect for expanded patient access to obesity treatments.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• CONTRAVE: FDA-approved obesity treatment (naltrexone HCl/bupropion HCl) for weight loss
• ONZETRA Xsail
• SILENOR
• TREXIMET

Products and services

• CONTRAVE FDA-approved prescription weight-loss medication containing naltrexone HCl/bupropion HCl, designed to help curb food cravings and support weight management in adults with obesity or overweight with weight-related conditions.
• ONZETRA Xsail Prescription nasal powder medication for the acute treatment of migraine headaches.
• SILENOR Prescription sleep aid medication for the treatment of insomnia.
• TREXIMET Prescription medication for acute treatment of migraine attacks with or without aura in adults and adolescents.
• PeekDirect Proprietary direct-to-patient platform enabling expanded patient access to FDA-approved obesity treatment (CONTRAVE) outside traditional physician-only prescribing channels.
• MYSIMBA International brand name for naltrexone HCl/bupropion HCl, the same formulation as CONTRAVE, marketed outside the United States for weight management.

Quantifiable outcome

• Obesity population is 95% untreated in the U.S.
• +2 more outcomes

Named customers6 records

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature3 records

Partnerships

15 partnerships are on record, tiered minor and core.

• Life Science TennesseeminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerBusiness alliance partner supporting the Nashville/Nashville-area life sciences ecosystem. Part of Currax's regional business development and community engagement activities.
• MercyminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerHealthcare system partnership for business development and potentially patient care coordination.
• Nashville Area Chamber of CommerceminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerLocal business chamber partnership supporting regional business community engagement.
• Nashville Business JournalminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerMedia/business publication partnership for regional visibility and business community.
• National HUB ChamberminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerChamber of commerce partnership for business development.
• Williamson County ChamberminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerRegional chamber partnership for business engagement in Williamson County area.
• American Medical Women's Association (AMWA)coreGTM or Marketing PartnerAdvocacy partnership focused on women's health and medical professional engagement. Supports Currax's education and awareness initiatives.
• European Association for the Study of Obesity (EASO)coreGTM or Marketing PartnerInternational obesity advocacy organization partnership for education and awareness on obesity treatment.
• Greater Houston Obesity Advocacy Partnership (GOPA)coreGTM or Marketing PartnerRegional obesity advocacy partnership focused on patient education and healthcare access in the Houston area.
• Obesity Action Coalition (OAC)coreGTM or Marketing PartnerNational nonprofit dedicated to obesity education, advocacy, and awareness. Key advocacy partner for Currax's obesity medication initiatives.
• Obesity Care AdvocacycoreGTM or Marketing PartnerCoalition focused on advocating for improved obesity care and treatment access.
• Obesity MatterscoreGTM or Marketing PartnerPatient advocacy organization focused on obesity education and support.
• Obesity Medicine AssociationcoreGTM or Marketing PartnerProfessional medical association partnership for clinician education and obesity treatment guidelines.
• STOP Obesity AlliancecoreGTM or Marketing PartnerStrategic training and outreach alliance focused on addressing the obesity epidemic through policy and education.
• World Obesity DaycoreGTM or Marketing PartnerInternational awareness campaign partnership for World Obesity Day recognition and education.

Scale indicators3 records

Recent moves3 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Others

• Lundbeck: Specialty neuroscience pharma with a focused insomnia portfolio (Dayvigo, Quviviq). Comparable as a peer for Currax's SILENOR insomnia franchise rather than its obesity business.

Broad incumbents

• Eli Lilly: Markets Zepbound (tirzepatide) and Mounjaro for diabetes/obesity. A broad incumbent whose high-efficacy injectable GLP-1/GIP therapy is the headline competitor in obesity and influences payer coverage and patient expectations for treatments like CONTRAVE.
• AstraZeneca: Large incumbent pharma with a metabolic disease presence and growing focus on obesity therapeutics, including pipeline candidates that could compete with Currax's oral positioning over time.
• GSK: Broad incumbent that sells Alli (orlistat), the leading OTC weight-loss product, and has extensive metabolic and consumer health reach. Comparable as an incumbent player overlapping in obesity treatment distribution and consumer access.
• Pfizer: Major pharma pursuing oral GLP-1 development for obesity, directly threatening Currax's positioning as an oral, non-injectable weight-loss option. Comparable as a broad incumbent with weight-loss R&D ambitions.
• Novo Nordisk: Sells Saxenda and the dominant injectable GLP-1 Wegovy for obesity (plus Ozempic for diabetes). The largest competitor in the obesity treatment space and the primary force reshaping prescriber and patient behavior that Currax must navigate.

Direct peers

• Vivus: Markets Qsymia (phentermine/topiramate), one of the few other FDA-approved oral weight-loss therapies. Direct competitor to CONTRAVE in the oral obesity prescription niche with a similar specialty pharma commercial model.

Emerging players

• Ro: DTC telehealth platform with a weight management vertical (e.g., compounded GLP-1s, oral options). Comparable as an emerging player pursuing the same cash-pay, direct-access obesity patient Currax targets with PeekDirect and GoodRx.
• Rhythm Pharmaceuticals: Specialty metabolic company focused on rare obesity disorders (e.g., MC4R pathway). Comparable as a focused obesity therapeutics peer with a smaller commercial footprint than the GLP-1 majors.
• Hims & Hers Health: DTC telehealth platform that has built a significant weight-loss category offering compounded and oral therapies. Comparable on GTM motion (DTC, cash-pay, direct patient access) rather than on the underlying molecule.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/orexigen-therapeutics
• Facebookfacebook.com/155441541162566

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles8 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds7 records

Investors12 records

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Orexigen Therapeutics