For the second time in a month, the Food and Drug Administration has approved a prescription weight-loss medication for the nation's 78 million obese adults after maintaining for years that the measly benefits of the pills did not outweigh their significant costs.

Qsymia, a combination of two drugs already approved to treat other conditions, "provides another option for the chronic weight management of Americans" who are obese or who are overweight and suffer a related condition such as Type 2 diabetes, high blood pressure or worrisome cholesterol readings, said Dr. Janet Woodcock, the FDA's chief of drug evaluation.

She underscored that the new medication — whose name is pronounced "kyoo-sim-EE-uh" — is to be taken by adult patients who also have cut back on calories and increased their physical activity.

The approval pushed Vivus Inc. shares to their highest level in 15 years.

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