ObesityWeek™ 2017 Sees Ethicon Launching Bariatric Surgery App

J&J device company Ethicon is partnering with J&J Health & Wellness Solutions to introduce a new digital platform and smartphone app. The idea is to offer resources and decision-making tools for patients considering weight loss surgery.

Background

The worldwide prevalence of obesity more than doubled between 1980 and 2014. In the United States, more than 2 in 3 adults are overweight or have obesity, and about 1 in 13 are considered to have extreme obesity.

In a press release, Ethicon points us at data suggesting bariatric surgery has the greatest weight loss results of any treatment options for those with severe obesity. It also tells us that only 1 percent of the 26 million surgically-eligible patients in the U.S. have surgery each year.

It looks like a good idea all round then, for Ethicon to hook up with its J&J sibling in an initiative that might drive uptake of bariatric surgery procedures. After all, Ethicon is already engaged in a multi-year, multi-million-dollar effort to combat obesity through the development of innovative products and services that enhance the patient experience.

The company will introduce what it’s calling “Johnson & Johnson Health Partner for Weight Loss Surgery.” This is a new digital platform created by Johnson & Johnson Health and Wellness Solutions that is designed to help people thinking about weight loss surgery better understand their options and make informed decisions about treatment. It will also help those that go on to have surgery stay on track and get physical, mental and emotional support as they get back to living their fullest lives, says the company’s release.

Company comments

“We are focused on bringing innovative devices to market, filling evidence gaps, and providing resources with the goal of optimizing outcomes and helping to break down the clinical, societal, economic, psychological and policy barriers that prevent people from getting life-changing weight loss surgery,” said Michael del Prado, Company Group Chairman, Ethicon.

“We believe providing patients and healthcare professionals with the tools and resources they need throughout the entire weight loss surgery experience is essential to success,” said Elliott Fegelman, MD, Therapeutic Area Lead for Metabolics, Ethicon. “From making the important decision to seek treatment to adopting a healthy lifestyle after surgery, patients need support. Health Partner for Weight Loss Surgery can help provide it digitally, through evidence-based behavioral science techniques and best clinical practices.”

At ObesityWeek (#OW2017), in addition to Health Partner for Weight Loss Surgery, Ethicon is featuring its broad range of bariatric surgery devices including the ECHELON FLEX™ GST System, a surgeon-controlled powered stapler and reload system designed to enable precision stapling performance with uniform staple line formation across the widest range of tissue thickness, making it ideally suited for bariatric surgery.

Other surgical solutions on display include the ProxiSure™ Suturing Device designed to enable precise suturing in tight spaces in minimally invasive surgery, the HARMONIC® portfolio of ultrasound devices, STRATAFIX™ Knotless Tissue Control Devices, and LINX®, a novel minimally invasive device for the surgical treatment of GERD.

Source: Ethicon

 

Share your thoughts

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *