BariatricSource

ReShape Medical™, Inc. announced today that it has initiated a U.S. Investigational Device Exemption (IDE) clinical study to assess the safety and effectiveness of its non-surgical, dual-balloon device for weight loss. The ReShape Balloons are designed to be a treatment for the millions who want support with weight loss, without the invasiveness of surgery. The ReShape device occupies existing space in the stomach to reduce its capacity for food. The balloons remain in place for six-months and are then removed.  read more »

Interleukin Genetics, Inc. announced presentation of findings from a retrospective clinical study on weight management conducted in collaboration with Stanford University. The study results and conclusions were presented today by investigators from Stanford Prevention Research Center at Stanford University School of Medicine during an oral presentation titled "Genotype Patterns Predict Weight Loss Success: The Right Diet Does Matter," at the American Heart Association's Joint 50th Cardiovascular Disease Epidemiology and Prevention - and - Nutrition, Physical Activity and Metabolism conference, being held March 2-5 in San Francisco, CA.  read more »

Decision Resources, one of the world's leading research and advisory firms for pharmaceutical and healthcare issues, finds that, for the treatment of obesity, Vivus's Qnexa (the phentermine/topiramate combination) will earn Decision Resources' proprietary clinical gold standard in 2013 and through 2018 following its anticipated U.S. approval for the disease in 2011. Qnexa has competitive advantages in efficacy -- it provides nearly double the weight-loss of current anti-obesity drugs -- and improved delivery over the current clinical gold standard, Roche's Xenical/GlaxoSmithKline's OTC Alli.  read more »

AliMed inc., a leading manufacturer and distributor of more than 70,000 healthcare products, is pleased to announce the release of the Post-Bariatric Surgery Discharge Pad. This discharge prescription pad allows patients to obtain the essential items needed for everyday living after bariatric surgery right to their door.  read more »

Amylin Pharmaceuticals, Inc. and Takeda Pharmaceutical Company Limited announced today that the companies have selected the combination treatment of pramlintide, an analog of the natural hormone amylin, and metreleptin, an analog of the natural hormone leptin, for advancement toward Phase 3 development. The decision to advance the program followed encouraging results from a 52-week blinded, placebo-controlled Phase 2 extension study. The pramlintide/metreleptin combination met the key target criteria of sustained and robust weight loss.  read more »

Seven organizations representing policy-makers from across the country have received a total of nearly $2 million in grants from the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation (RWJF) to help communities increase children's access to affordable healthy foods and opportunities for physical activity.  read more »

Pro Pointer, Inc., through its wholly owned subsidiary Coenzyme-A Technologies, Inc., is pleased to announce its latest innovative proprietary formulation, the COENZYME A MODULATOR MATRIX II™. The formula contains a balanced combination of active nutritional components that support the body's natural management of fat. This "BODY IMAGE™ product, in conjunction with proper diet and exercise, can produce phenomenal results in fat loss, while maintaining energy levels and preventing hunger and weakness," stated Nickolaos D. Skouras, PhD, President/CEO Coenzyme-A Technologies, Inc. "We are confident this is the first nutraceutical product to combine nutritional components that can be used by the body to support its manufacture and utilization of Acetyl Coenzyme-A with a specific set of substrates that are designed to assist the body in stabilizing blood sugar levels and metabolizing fat," Dr. Skouras added.  read more »

Chartwells School Dining Services is joining First Lady Michelle Obama in her national campaign to end childhood obesity within the next generation. As the industry leader in school dining, Chartwells is committed to partnering with the communities it serves to, at a minimum, more than quadruple the number that qualify for gold level nutrition status of the HealthierUS School Challenge by the close of the 2010-2011 school year.  read more »

Three in ten overweight teens believe they are actually underweight or "about right," according to a study of more than 65,000 high school students.  read more »

EIRO Research, a Dallas-based nutritional company, reports that end-users of the EIROfit system, which incorporates a resistant starch technology, have experienced substantial weight loss since the products were introduced last year. Participants in a pilot field test lost an average of 18 pounds in eight weeks, with some participants losing up to 43 pounds in eight weeks.  read more »