Obesity Implants FDA Approval Likely In 2007

The obesity implant "tricks" the nerve cells lining the stomach to release a chemical signal that tells the brain the stomach is full. Feeling stuffed, you stop eating.

The end result...calorie restriction and weight loss.

What's an Obesity Implant and How Does it Work?

A small electrical device, similar to a computer chip, is implanted under the skin just below the rib cage. Two wires from the implant connect to the outer wall of the stomach and deliver a low-level electrical current, when activated by muscle contractions.

The electrical current triggers the release of a chemical signal which tells the brain that the stomach is full. The impulse may also cause the stomach muscle to relax and distend as if full of food, tricking the body into feeling full.

Researchers hope the obesity implant can regulate appetite signals and boost metabolism.

The devices currently used in Europe are intended for severely obese individuals. However, several biotechnology companies are developing obesity implants for the mildly obese individual.

In the U.S, clinical studies are in the early phases and focus on collecting safety data and overall effectiveness. It's too early to draw any conclusions, but the results look promising for some obesity implants to be approved for use in the U.S in 2007.

Early reports of one clinical trial estimates that obesity implants will help one-third to one-half of obese patients. But among those who do have success with the implant, the average patient has lost about 40 percent of excess body weight.

Potential Benefits from Implants

First, obesity implants could offer a low-risk alternative to major bariatric surgery. Surgery is expensive, costing $20,000 or more, and it carries a significant risk for serious medical complications and death.

Some estimates show that one in every 200 patients undergoing gastric bypass surgery dies.

Secondly, if the devices are truly effective in restricting calories, they could play a role in treating certain eating disorders and regulating blood-sugar levels in diabetic patients.

One company is currently recruiting patients for a trial involving obese people with diabetes. The objective is to gauge how weight loss affects diabetes and how the obesity implants might regulate certain hormones, like insulin.

Conclusion

Obesity implants look promising as low-risk alternatives to surgery. Other benefits might include treating eating disorders and diabetes.

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