Experts endorse obesity surgery

A federal advisory panel panel Friday endorsed a company’s request that a device used for weight-loss surgery be approved for people who are slightly less obese, a crucial step towards making the already increasingly popular procedures available to many more patients.

The 10-member Food and Drug Administration advisory committee voted overwhelmingly to recommend the agency grant the request from Allergan Inc. of Irvine, Calif., to market its Lap-Band device to people with a body mass index BMI of between 30 and 35.

Currently, the device, which is implanted around the stomach to restrict how much food a person consumes, is only approved for people who have not been able to lose weight through diet and exercise and have either a BMI of 40 or above or a combination of BMI of 35 or above and at least one serious weight-related health problem. Allergan’s request was to change that to a BMI of 35 with no health problems or 30 with health problems.

The Checkup – Experts endorse obesity surgery