Ethicon tells us about its “Project Game Changer” initiative. The company has announced major progress in the multi-year, multimillion-dollar global endeavour to close evidence gaps, reduce clinical and economic barriers and expand patient access to the surgical treatment of obesity and related diseases and conditions.
Background
Ethicon, part of the Johnson & Johnson Medical Devices Companies, has been a major player in the surgical arena for more than 60 years. Its surgical technologies and solutions include sutures, staplers, energy devices, trocars and hemostats.
The driving force that underpins the Game Changer initiative is the worldwide prevalence of obesity, which has more than doubled between 1980 and 2014.
Ethicon is focusing its research and evidence generation efforts on the safety and effectiveness of bariatric surgery on reducing obesity, and obesity-related diseases such as type 2 diabetes, heart disease, and orthopedic conditions, as well as the treatment’s impact on healthcare costs. Several studies have already been published in peer-reviewed journals and many more are underway.
The company has chosen the 22nd World Congress of the International Federation for the Surgery of Obesity and Metabolic Diseases (IFSO 2017) at which to provide updates on its quest to see optimal healthcare delivery in bariatric surgery. Its approach to research will be featured in a panel discussion, where leading researchers will share their perspectives on how a mix of clinical, pre-clinical, and real world evidence studies are helping to drive the future of bariatric surgery. Separately, early research findings will be shared from Ethicon-funded multi-center retrospective and prospective trials of gastric bypass in China.
Company comments
“Groundbreaking clinical and economic studies, major treatment guidelines and real world evidence have contributed to the transformation of bariatric surgery from what was once considered by some to be either cosmetic or high risk to an effective lifesaving operation whose benefits go far beyond weight loss,” said Michael del Prado, Company Group Chairman, Ethicon.
“A wide range of evidence guides innovation, adoption of procedures and everyday treatment decisions. We are committed to working with the bariatric community to advance the specialty and expand access for the benefit of patients everywhere. Significant progress has been made, but much work is left to do,” said Elliott Fegelman, MD, Therapeutic Area Lead for Metabolics at Johnson & Johnson Innovation.
Source: Ethicon
