Orexigen has a tough climb ahead as it sets out without a US partner to boost sales for its obesity drug Contrave with the goal of profitability by 2019, but it appears that doctors, patients and payers are becoming more open to pharmaceutical treatment.

Since Ramona Sequeira was made president of Takeda's US business a year ago, she has set out a new strategy that she hopes will add to the turnaround of the Japanese major after a difficult patch in its history.

Takeda Pharmaceutical Co. Ltd. has closed out its "turnaround year" on target, meeting guidance for fiscal 2015. The company has been undergoing a reorganization to pull it through intense generic competition and CEO Christophe Weber took the year-end opportunity to outline how the strategy was playing out for Japanese pharma.