Vivus had cash, cash equivalents and available-for-sale securities of $226.9 million as of Sept. 30.

"Vivus is developing what we believe to be the best-in-class agent in an exciting new category of agents for the treatment of obesity," said Merriman Curhan Ford analyst Michael G. King Jr. in a note to investors. "A new era of pharmacologic therapy for obesity has arrived, and the category possesses blockbuster potential."

He reaffirmed a "Buy" rating on the stock.

Meanwhile, JMP Securities analyst Jason N. Butler reaffirmed a "Market Perform" rating Vivus, saying the most important financial metric to come out of the third-quarter report is the company's cash, which he called "more than sufficient" to fund operations.