Bariatric Times

JUN 2017

A peer-reviewed, evidence-based journal that promotes clinical development and metabolic insights in total bariatric patient care for the healthcare professional

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28 News and Trends Bariatric Times • June 2017 B ariatric Surgery, and Chief Medical Consultant, EnteroMedics. "If the Vest continues to yield similar results to those observed to date, it will be a game changer in the field of bariatrics." R aj Nihalani, MD, inventor of the Gastric Vest System, Founder and Former Chief Executive Officer of BarioSurg stated: "EnteroMedics is a leader in minimally-invasive, sustainable w eight loss treatment with vBloc Therapy. I look forward to joining the company and navigating a path toward potential FDA approval and eventual commercialization, while at the same t ime exploring ways in which the Vest may be able to be combined with vBloc Therapy to enhance patient outcomes." The consideration paid by EnteroMedics for BarioSurg, Inc. c onsists of 1.38 million unregistered shares of EnteroMedics common stock, 1.0 million unregistered shares of conditional convertible preferred stock (which will be convertible into 5.0 m illion unregistered shares of common stock upon the receipt of the required approval of EnteroMedics' stockholders under NASDAQ rules), and $2.0 million in cash. The shares of common stock issued in the acquisition represent 19.99% of EnteroMedics' outstanding common stock immediately prior to the acquisition. EnteroMedics expects to hold a special meeting of its stockholders to seek the required approval of the conversion of the conditional convertible preferred stock in the summer of 2017. In connection with the acquisition, EnteroMedics has appointed Dr. Nihalani as Chief Technology Officer, EnteroMedics. To read the full press release, visit http://ir.enteromedics.com/releasedetail. cfm?ReleaseID=1027468 About EnteroMedics Inc. EnteroMedics is a medical device company focused on the development and commercialization of its neuroscience based technology to treat obesity and metabolic diseases. vBloc ® Neurometabolic Therapy, delivered by a pacemaker-like device called the vBloc ® System, is designed to intermittently block the vagus nerves using high- frequency, low-energy, electrical impulses. EnteroMedics' vBloc ® System has received U.S. Food and Drug Administration approval and CE Mark. About BarioSurg Inc. BarioSurg, Inc. was founded in 2008 by Dr. Raj Nihalani. BarioSurg was a privately held medical device company that developed the proprietary, minimally invasive and reversible device, the Gastric Vest System ™ to treat obesity and related comorbidities. ANTHONY COMUZZIE NAMED NEW EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR AT THE OBESITY SOCIETY SILVER SPRING, Maryland— Anthony Comuzzie, Ph.D., FTOS, a world-renowned obesity researcher, scientist and co-director of the TOPS Nutrition and Obesity Research Center a t Texas Biomedical Research Institute, will serve as the new executive director of The Obesity Society (TOS). "We are pleased to welcome Dr. Comuzzie to The Obesity Society," said T OS President Allen Levine, Ph.D., FTOS. "He is an accomplished scientist, well respected among his peers and has the experience and dedication to successfully helm our professional s ociety. We greatly look forward to his ideas and plans for TOS as it continues to be a leader in the field of obesity." Dr. Comuzzie has more than 25 years of research experience focused o n the genetics of obesity. He is active in numerous scientific societies, served as a member of the NHLBI Expert Panel on Obesity and Overweight, and continues to serve on the Board of T rustees for the Scientists Center for Animal Welfare (SCAW). Dr. Comuzzie also sat on TOS's Executive Committee as Secretary/Treasurer before accepting the position of executive director. A dditionally, Dr. Comuzzie serves as Editor of Frontiers in Applied Genetic Epidemiology, is an Associate Editor for BMC Medical Genetics, and is a member of the editorial board of the International Journal of Nutrigenetics and Nutrigenomics. He is a recognized expert and advisor on the genetics of obesity and has published more than 250 journal articles. "The Obesity Society has a unique mission in its dedication to obesity research and treatment," said Dr. Comuzzie." Knowing firsthand just how special this organization is, I'm honored and excited to be a part of it." About The Obesity Society. The Obesity Society (TOS) is the leading professional society dedicated to better understanding, preventing and treating obesity. Through research, education and advocacy, TOS is committed to improving the lives of those affected by the disease. For more information visit: www.Obesity.org. WORLD OBESITY FEDERATION PUBLISHES POSITION STATEMENT IN OBESITY REVIEWS DEFINING OBESITY AS A CHRONIC, RELAPSING DISEASE, ALONGSIDE AN ACCOMPANYING COMMENTARY In a statement published in Obesity Reviews, the World Obesity Federation confirmed its support for defining obesity as a chronic, relapsing disease. The statement was prepared by a scientific committee of the Federation, which concluded that obesity fits the epidemiological model of a disease process except that the toxic or pathological agent is diet-related rather than a microbe. The question of whether obesity should be called a "disease" has sparked controversy for the most of the last century. In their Obesity Reviews position statement, Dr. George Bray and his colleagues examine how an abundance of food, low physical acivity, and several other environmental factors interact with genetic susceptibility. T hey draw parallels to chronic diseases, noting that the magnitude of obesity and its adverse effects in individuals may relate to the virulence or toxicity of the environment and its interaction w ith the host. "Accepting the concept that obesity is a chronic disease process is important for several reasons," said Bray. "First, it removes the feeling that p atients alone are responsible for their excess weight. It also focuses attention on the way in which this disease process can be tackled. And finally, it shows that is we can successfully treat o besity, many of its associated disease will be eliminated." In an accompanying letter to the editor, the Federation's policy experts suggest that declaring obesity to be a d isease could benefit those people who are suffering with obesity and wish to have access to medical advice and support, "whilst also strengthening the call for dealing with the social d eterminants, obesogenic environments and system causes of individual weight gain." They note that obesity is a normal response to an obesogenic environment, but is not in itself a biologically normal or healthy condition. They also note that recognizing obesity as a disease may reduce individuals' internalized stigma, change the public discourse about blame for the condition, and have benefits in countries where health service costs are funded from insurance schemes that limit payments for non-disease conditions or risk factors. To access the article in Obesity Reviews titled, "Obesity: a chronic relapsing progressive disease process. A position statement of the World Obesity Federation," visit http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.111 1/obr.12551/full. To access its accompanying commentary, "Comment: obesity as a disease – some implications for the World Obesity Federation's advocacy and public health activities," visit http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.111 1/obr.12554/full About the World Obesity Federation. The World Obesity Federation is an alliance of over 50 national and regional organizations dedicated to research into obesity, and treatment and prevention of the disease. It promotes better understanding of the problems faced by people with high levels of adiposity and urges stronger government action to reduct the obesogenicity of the modern environment. The Federation is a charity based in the United Kingdom, and is the host of World Obesity Day on October 11th each year. To learn more visit http://www.worldobesity.org. NEW WHO STUDY ON HEALTH AND WELL-BEING OF EUROPE'S YOUTH REVEALS THAT OBESITY CONTINUES TO RISE COPENHAGEN, Denmark—A new WHO report, launched at the European C ongress on Obesity in Portugal, reveals that the number of obese adolescents is continuing to rise in many countries across the WHO European Region. " Despite sustained efforts to tackle childhood obesity, one in three adolescents is still estimated to be overweight or obese in Europe, with the highest rates found in southern E uropean and Mediterranean countries. What is of particular concern is that the epidemic is on the rise in eastern European countries, where historically rates have been lower," states Dr Z suzsanna Jakab, WHO Regional Director for Europe. "Ambitious policy action is required to reach the Sustainable Development Goal to halt the increase in childhood obesity. G overnments must target efforts and break this harmful cycle from childhood into adolescence and beyond." A major global health concern. Childhood obesity is considered one of t he most serious public health challenges of the 21st century. Obese children are at greater risk of type 2 diabetes, asthma, sleep difficulties, musculoskeletal problems and future cardiovascular disease, as well as school absence, psychological problems and social isolation. Dr Joao Breda, Programme Manager for Nutrition, Physical Activity and Obesity at the WHO Regional Office for Europe, stresses that this has severe consequences reaching far into the future: "Most young people will not outgrow obesity: about four in every five adolescents who become obese will continue to have weight problems as adults. As such, they carry forward the increased risk of ill health, stigma and discrimination. Furthermore, the chronic nature of obesity can limit social mobility and help sustain a damaging intergenerational cycle of poverty and ill health." The report highlights persisting inequalities in obesity among young people. In general, younger adolescents, boys and those living in families of lower socioeconomic position are more likely to be obese. These findings indicate that ongoing health promotion and disease prevention efforts aimed at reducing childhood obesity are failing to adequately reach these groups. Preventive action to reverse negative trends. Policy initiatives and interventions need to target high-risk adolescents within the context of families, schools and wider communities, and prioritize policies that improve young people's access to healthy diets. Efforts are also needed to improve built environments so that physical activity is re-established as an integral part of daily living. To access the full press release, visit http://www.euro.who.int/en/media- centre/sections/press- releases/2017/new-who-study-on- health-and-well-being-of-europes- youth-reveals-that-obesity-continues-to- rise

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