Tag Archive for: Obesity

Obesity Recognized As A Disease By The American Medical Association

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The American Medical Association has officially recognized obesity as a disease, a decision that could persuade physicians to pay more attention to the condition and encourage more insurers to pay for obesity-related treatments.

“Acknowledging obesity as a disease will help reshape the way the medical community approaches this complex issue that affects approximately one in three Americans,” Dr. Alexander Abkin, a board-certified bariatric surgeon, said in a statement. He suggested the new definition would help in the fight against Type 2 diabetes and heart disease, which are linked to obesity. Read more

Weight loss surgery may alter genetics for future generations

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We all know that weight-loss surgery can shrink your waistline – but a new study shows it can cause surprising changes in your genes, too.

According to a study in the journal Cell Press, people who underwent gastric bypass surgery and lost weight, experienced changes in gene expression, which improved their body’s ability to burn fat and store sugars properly, decreasing their risk for diabetes.

Read more

NJ BCBS Announces Bariatric Surgery Coverage in Patients with Diabetes and Body Mass Index Less than 35

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Background

Bariatric surgery is an established treatment for morbid obesity in patients with a body mass index (BMI) equal to or greater than 40 kg/m2, or BMI equal to or greater than 35 in the presence of weight-related comorbidities.   Some experts have recommended broadening of the eligibility criteria for bariatric surgery, in order to reach more patients who might benefit.  The population of patients with nonmorbid obesity (i.e., BMI 30-35 kg/m2) represents a very large number of patients with a high overall burden of weight-related comorbidities. Read more

Studies more firmly tie sugary drinks to obesity

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New research powerfully strengthens the case against soda and other sugary drinks as culprits in the obesity epidemic.

A huge, decades-long study involving more than 33,000 Americans has yielded the first clear proof that drinking sugary beverages interacts with genes that affect weight, amplifying a person’s risk of obesity beyond what it would be from heredity alone. Read more

Can it! Soda studies cite stronger link to obesity

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NEW YORK (Reuters) – As Americans debate what is most to blame for the nation’s obesity epidemic, researchers say they have the strongest evidence yet that sugary drinks play a leading role and that eliminating them would, more than any other single step, make a huge difference. Read more

Vivus says obesity drug may fail EU test, shares fall

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(Reuters) – Vivus Inc said it expects a European committee to recommend against the approval of its obesity drug Qsiva, based on preliminary feedback from the committee.

The formal decision from the European Medicines Agency‘s Committee for Medicinal Products for Human Use is expected following their October meeting.

If a negative recommendation is issued in October and depending upon issues raised, Vivus will either resubmit the marketing application at a later date or appeal the decision and request a re-examination.

“We await the official decision and the formal report which should provide us specifics on any additional requirements leading to the approval of Qsiva in Europe,” Vivus President Peter Tam said in a statement.

Qsiva was approved by the U.S. health regulators in July and was recently launched in the United States under the trade name Qsymia.

(Reporting by Esha Dey in Bangalore; Editing by Roshni Menon)

Vivus: EU to recommend against its obesity drug

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MOUNTAIN VIEW, Calif. (AP) — Vivus Inc. said Friday it believes a panel of advisers to the European Union‘s health agency will recommend against approving its weight loss drug Qsymia.

Vivus said its opinion is based on “preliminary feedback” from the Committee for Medicinal Products for Human Use. The panel is expected to make a recommendation in October. After that the European Medicines Agency will make a ruling on the marketing of Qsymia.

If the drug is not approved, Vivus said it will file a new marketing application or appeal the agency’s decision. Vivus wants to market the drug in Europe under the name Qsiva. The drug received U.S. approval in July, and it is Vivus’ only marketed product.

Shares of Vivus fell $2.54, or 10.7 percent, to $21.18 in morning trading, but for the year to date, shares have more than doubled.

Vivus announced Monday that Qsymia is now available in the U.S., making it the first long-term prescription weight loss drug to reach the market since 1999. The Food and Drug Administration approved the drug in July for adults who are obese or overweight and have at least one weight-related condition such as high blood pressure, diabetes or high cholesterol.

The FDA also approved Arena Pharmaceuticals Inc.‘s drug Belviq in June, and Belviq is expected to go on sale in early 2013. Qsymia is generally seen as the more effective of the two drugs.

Cowen & Co. analyst Simos Simeonidis said Vivus may have trouble getting Qsiva approved because European regulators are concerned about the effects of phentermine, one of the drug’s two main ingredients. Phentermine is a stimulant that suppresses the appetite, and it was part of the fen-phen diet drug cocktail, which became a popular weight-loss prescription in the 1990s.

However fen-phen was linked to heart valve damage and the other ingredient, fenfluramine, was withdrawn from the market.

Simeonidis said that if Qsiva is not approved, it hurts Vivus’ chances of being acquired more than it would hurt the company’s revenue. He expects sales of the drug in Europe to reach about $700 million a year in 2019, and said Vivus would probably market Qsiva through a partnership that would give it around $150 million of that amount. He expects U.S. sales of Qsymia to reach $1.6 billion that year.

The analyst reiterated a “Neutral” rating on the stock.

Risk Of Diabetes Substantially Reduced By Bariatric Surgery

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Main Category: Obesity / Weight Loss / Fitness
Also Included In: Diabetes
Article Date: 20 Sep 2012 – 1:00 PDT

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Bariatric surgery reduces the long-term risk of developing diabetes by over 80 % among people with obesity. The New England Journal of Medicine (NEJM) has published the results of a study conducted at Sahlgrenska Academy, University of Gothenburg, Sweden.

A study conducted by Professor Lars Sjöström, Professor Lena Carlsson and their team at Sahlgrenska Academy, University of Gothenburg, has found that bariatric surgery is considerably more effective than traditional care and lifestyle changes in preventing diabetes among people with obesity.

The treatment group consisted of 1,658 subjects who had undergone bariatric surgery, while the control group consisted of 1,771 equally obese people who had received traditional care. During 15-year follow-up, 392 people in the control group and only 110 people in the treatment group developed diabetes.

“Our results show that bariatric surgery can reduce the risk of developing diabetes by more than 80 %”, Professor Sjöström says. “This is an extremely high figure.”

The study is based on an extensive study entitled Swedish Obese Subjects (SOS), which has given rise to more than 90 scientific articles and demonstrated that bariatric surgery is also highly beneficial when it comes to cancer, cardiovascular disease, total mortality and health-related quality of life.

“Both women and men benefited in terms of diabetes”, Professor Sjöström says, “but the degree of obesity at baseline did not affect the results.”

Article adapted by Medical News Today from original press release. Click ‘references’ tab above for source.
Visit our obesity / weight loss / fitness section for the latest news on this subject.
The article, “Bariatric Surgery and Prevention of Type 2 Diabetes in Swedish Obese Persons” was published in the August 23 issue of NEJM.
FACTS ABOUT THE SOS STUDY
Swedish Obese Subjects (SOS) is one of the largest studies ever conducted on obesity treatment. The results of the study helped raise the number of bariatric operations in Sweden from a few hundred in 1987 to almost 10,000 in 2011.
University of Gothenburg
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More NJ Adults Will Be Obese By 2030, Report Finds

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Americans are getting fatter.  Over the next 20 years, nine states could see their obesity-related health care costs climb more than twenty-percent.

“New Jersey is unfortunately on track to see the biggest increase of obesity related health care costs at 34 percent” said Albert Lang, of Trust For America’s Health and co-author of the report released today.

If states’ obesity rates continue on their current trajectories, the number of new cases of type 2 diabetes, coronary heart disease and stroke, hypertension and arthritis could increase 10 times between 2010 and 2020—and double again by 2030. Read more

Georgia obesity rates projected to rise

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ATLANTA (AP) — A new report forecasts a sharp rise in obesity in every American state over the next 20 years, though Georgia is projected to remain in the middle of the pack.

The research by Trust for America’s Health and the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation estimates that if current trends continue, 13 states would have obesity rates higher than 60 percent by 2030; 39 states would have rates topping 50 percent; and every state would exceed 40 percent.

In Georgia, the analysis found that 53.9 percent of adults would be obese, up from 28 percent now. Mississippi would remain the fattest state, with two-thirds of adults being obese. Colorado would be thinnest at 44 percent.

State rates in 2011 ranged from 20.7 percent in Colorado to 34.9 percent in Mississippi.