ValenTx to present its first clinical study for the treatment of morbid obesity

ValenTx, Inc. announces the presentation of the first clinical study of their endoluminal approach for the treatment of morbid obesity at the 2009 American College of Surgeons Clinical Congress. The ValenTx procedure is enabled by an implantable and removable sleeve that mimics the mechanisms of gastric bypass surgery without the risks associated with that procedure.

In a collaborative study led by physicians from the University of California San Diego Medical Center and the Imperial College of London, and conducted at the Hospital San Jose de Monterrey in Monterrey, Mexico, 12 patients underwent the implantation of the ValenTx bypass sleeve during a 12-week trial. Patients completing the study achieved an average excess weight loss of 39.5%.

"I'm very excited to present this work at the American College of Surgeons Clinical Congress," said Dr. Bryan J. Sandler, co-author on the study and presenter of the scientific paper. "This initial trial indicates that we can significantly reduce excess weight and positively impact the co-morbidities commonly seen in this patient population."

"We are very honored that the study of our device has been chosen for presentation at the ACS meeting," said James Wright, President of ValenTx. "We see the selection as an affirmation of our clinical focus: to develop a device with the proven therapy mechanisms of a highly effective bariatric procedure, but to enable this in a safer, less invasive manner."

In addition to an oral presentation of the study at the ACS Congress, a video presentation was accepted for the prestigious event. The clinical study will also be published in the Journal of the American College of Surgeons.

"This is very promising data," said Santiago Horgan, M.D., Director of UCSD's Center for the Treatment of Obesity and lead author on the study. "Furthermore, our experience with this device reveals the potential for a completely incision-less and reversible, outpatient procedure in the future."

The study concluded that the ValenTx device could be safely implanted and removed in all patients. In addition to achieving significant weight loss, diabetic patients in the study maintained normal fasting blood glucose levels, without anti hyperglycemic medications during the trial.

SOURCE ValenTx, Inc.