Question-and-Answer Session
Operator
(Operator Instructions) Your first question comes from Craig Gordon - Cohen & Co.
Craig Gordon - Cohen & Co.
A couple questions, in the NDA Submission, do you guys plan on submitting proposals both for Phase IV commitments as well as a REMS program?
Bill Shanahan
We specifically discussed this issue with the FDA at our pre-NDA meeting and this will be a review issue, but at the present time we don’t see a safety signal to pursue, so we are going to continue to down evaluate our data filed with the NDA and then have discussions with the FDA after that.
Craig Gordon - Cohen & Co.
In terms of a partnership, I guess in the past there’s been a discussion that perhaps it could come, I guess, year end this year or perhaps the first half of 2010. Is that still a realistic time line or is it more likely to come perhaps after the FDA panel or approval?
Jack Lief
Well, partnering is an important goal for Arena. We’re working hard on this and when we have something to announce, we will. We believe lorcaserin’s unique profile allows it to be first line therapy and so therefore, it’s very attractive to partners and obviously we can’t comment on who we’re talking to or anything like that, but when we do have something to announce, we definitely will.
Operator
Your next question comes from Terence Flynn - Lazard Capital Markets.
Terence Flynn - Lazard Capital Markets
The first question, just in terms of the market research you guys recently conducted. Did you ask any questions specifically about combination use of lorcaserin with phentermine?
Jack Lief
No we did not.
Terence Flynn - Lazard Capital Markets
Just a follow-up on the partnership discussions, I was wondering you guys have guided to, you’d like to provide drug substance to your partner and take a royalty. In the event that let’s say, you can’t get terms, which you view as favorable, would you consider launching lorcaserin with a specialty sales force?
Jack Lief
As we said, we intend to partner, but we do have contingency plans in place, should we not reach a proper agreement and if we need to execute our commercialization plans, I don’t expect a delayed launch for lorcaserin. So yes, we do have such contingency plans in place.
Terence Flynn - Lazard Capital Markets
What type of sales force or what size sales force, I guess do those contingency plans assume?
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