Obesity News and Research

Latest Obesity News and Research

UCB's Cimzia and Centocor's Simponi penetrate first line biologic position in RA

In its recently released annual 2010 update, ChartTrends®: Biologics in Rheumatoid Arthritis, BioTrends Research Group, Inc. finds that newer biologic agents such as UCB's Cimzia and Centocor OrthoBiotech's Simponi, although lagging in overall market share, have begun to penetrate the first line biologic position primarily at the expense of Pfizer/Amgen's Enbrel and Abbott's Humira.

21 Dec 2010

Amylin submits metreleptin rolling submission BLA for treatment of rare forms of lipodystrophy

Amylin Pharmaceuticals, Inc. today announced that it has submitted the initial sections of a rolling submission for a Biologics License Application (BLA) to the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) for the use of metreleptin to treat diabetes and/or hypertriglyceridemia (high levels of triglycerides in the bloodstream) in patients with rare forms of lipodystrophy.

21 Dec 2010

Inconsistent, incomplete labeling of alcoholic beverages taking health, safety toll on drinkers

The National Consumers League (NCL) has once again called on the Alcohol and Tobacco Tax and Trade Bureau (TTB) to issue a final rule to improve alcohol beverage labeling.

21 Dec 2010

Gastric bypass surgeries performed using da Vinci Surgical System

Friday, bariatric surgeons at St. Vincent's East, Lee Schmitt, M.D., F.A.C.S. and Robert (Les) Miles, M.D., F.A.C.S., of Alabama Weight Loss Surgery, performed two gastric bypass surgeries using the da Vinci® Surgical System, also known as the "robot." Dr. Schmitt and Dr. Miles will be the only bariatric surgeons in the state of Alabama routinely offering patients this minimally invasive option in gastric bypass surgery.

21 Dec 2010

Eating in front of computer linked to weight gain: Study

The latest study shows that having lunch in front of your computer may lead to more weight gain and increased snacking. The team from the University of Bristol was studying the ways in which memory and attention influence appetite.

20 Dec 2010

Britain’s NHS falls short in providing services

British patients are being denied routine procedures varying from hip replacements, to cataract removal and wisdom tooth extraction as trusts are cutting back on surgeries and diagnostic procedures to save money. There is also a restriction preventing patients undergoing procedures for lifestyle reasons and those considered “low priority”. This includes obesity surgeries, mild varicose veins, fertility treatments, back injections for pain, hip and knee replacement in obese patients etc.

20 Dec 2010

EMA grants SME designation to PROLOR Biotech

PROLOR Biotech, Inc.,, a clinical stage company developing next generation biobetter therapeutic proteins, today announced that the European Commission and the European Medicines Agency (EMA) has granted PROLOR the designation of "Small and Medium Sized Enterprise" (SME).

20 Dec 2010

Arrowhead launches new company, Ablaris to commercialize novel weight loss technology

Arrowhead Research Corporation today announced that it has executed an exclusive world-wide license on technology developed by Drs. Wadih Arap and Renata Pasqualini at MD Anderson Cancer Center for use in weight loss and obesity-related metabolic conditions, and that it has launched a new company, Ablaris Therapeutics Inc., to commercialize this platform.

20 Dec 2010

VIVUS seeks marketing approval of QNEXA in the EU

VIVUS, Inc. today announced that the company filed a Marketing Authorization Application (MAA) with the European Medicines Agency (EMA) for QNEXA® (phentermine/topiramate) Controlled Release Capsules in the European Union (EU). The proposed indication in the EU is for the treatment of obesity, including weight loss and maintenance of weight loss, and should be used in conjunction with a mildly hypocaloric diet.

20 Dec 2010

Progress report on 'Strategy for Europe on nutrition, overweight and obesity'

December has been a busy month for the European Commission, and Despina Spanou, Principal Adviser at the Directorate General for Health and Consumers, talks to EUFIC, about Europe's Nutrition Strategy mid-term progress report, the evaluation of the EU Platform for Action on Diet, Physical Activity and Health, the OECD/EC report "Health at a Glance: Europe 2010", and the Belgian Presidency/EC Conference on Monitoring and Evaluation of EU and Member States' strategies on nutrition, overweight and obesity-related health issues.

20 Dec 2010

SEEK announces new joint venture entity with Pernix Therapeutics for antitussive drug development

SEEK, a leading UK privately-owned drug-discovery group, is pleased to announce the establishment of a new joint venture entity with Pernix Therapeutics Holdings, an integrated specialty pharmaceutical company focused primarily on the United States pediatric market.

20 Dec 2010

Researchers examine socio-economic consequences of hypersomnia

Danish sleep researchers at the University of Copenhagen and the Danish Institute for Health Services Research have examined the socio-economic consequences of the sleep disorder hypersomnia in one of the largest studies of its kind.

20 Dec 2010

Physical activity, healthy diets open gateway to preventive lifestyle

"A physical active lifestyle opens the gateway to a preventive lifestyle including healthy diets" - this was the main message from a scientific presentation of Prof. Wolgang Schlicht, Institute of Sport and Health Sciences, Stuttgart University, held during the last meeting of the EU supported Food Cluster Initiative in Ghent, Belgium.

17 Dec 2010

Lightlake acquires US Patent for method of terminating methadone maintenance

Lightlake Therapeutics Inc has acquired US Patent 5,587,381, entitled: 'Method for terminating methadone maintenance through extinction of the opiate-taking responses', using an opioid antagonist as treatment. The Patent also covers treatment for addiction to other legally available opioids and to stimulant drugs such as Cocaine and Amphetamines.

17 Dec 2010

Health inequalities still exist between England's richest and poorest

Significant health inequalities still exist between the country's richest and poorest according to the latest findings from the biggest annual survey of health in England, The Health Survey for England. The survey, conducted by the National Centre for Social Research and UCL and funded by The NHS Information Centre, shows that people in the lowest income households continue to experience much worse outcomes across key health measures than people in the highest income households.

17 Dec 2010

UIC introduces robotic kidney transplantation surgery for obese recipients

Surgeons at the University of Illinois Medical Center at Chicago are the first to offer robotic kidney transplantation to morbidly obese patients and report fewer complications among this high risk population.

17 Dec 2010

Quarter of all British school children obese: Report

A quarter of all British school children are obese and by the final year of primary school, the proportion rises to a third. Experts believe that this is not even the actual figure because many children opt out of being weighed. Urban children were much more likely to be overweight than those living in more rural areas.

16 Dec 2010