VIVUS, Inc. terminated the Development and Commercialization Agreement with FemPharm Pty Ltd. (a wholly owned subsidiary of Acrux Limited) for Luramist(TM), a metered dose transdermal application of testosterone for women. The agreement with FemPharm was originally signed in 2004 along with the agreement to develop Evamist, a metered dose transdermal estradiol spray for menopause. The company will return rights to Luramist to FemPharm and focus its efforts on its late stage investigational product candidates: Qnexa for obesity and avanafil for erectile dysfunction.

“The decision to terminate the agreement was made in view of the significant long-term safety requirements for the approval of testosterone products in women,” stated Peter Tam, president of VIVUS. “We believe it is in our shareholders’ best interests to pursue other therapeutic candidates.”