Orexigen diet pill recommended for approval in Europe

LONDON (Reuters) - A new diet pill from Orexigen Therapeutics Inc has been recommended for approval in Europe, the European Medicines Agency (EMA) said on Friday. The drug, known as Contrave in the United States, will be marketed as Mysimba in Europe. The medicine won U.S. approval in September and is a combination of the antidepressant bupropion and Orexigen's formulation of naltrexone, designed to prevent drug dependence. The EMA also gave a green light to a Parkinson's drug called Xadago, or safinamide, from Newron Pharmaceuticals and its partner Zambon, as well as a drug for controlling hyperphosphataemia from Sanofi's biotech unit Genzyme and a drug for skin infections from Durata. Recommendations for marketing approval by the European Medicine Agency's Committee for Medicinal Products for Human Use (CHMP) are normally endorsed by the European Commission within a couple of months. (Reporting by Ben Hirschler; Editing by Martinne Geller)