Ethicon demonstrates commitment to improve access to life-changing obesity treatment

Ethicon, part of Johnson & Johnson Medical Devices Companies (JJMD), demonstrates its commitment to improving access to life-changing obesity treatment and putting the most appropriate surgical tools in surgeons hands at the 23^rd World Congress of the International Federation for the Surgery of Obesity and Metabolic Diseases (IFSO 2018). During the congress, Ethicon will illustrate its contribution to address all barriers around obesity and bariatric surgery, through continued investment in technologies, research, education, training and awareness campaigns.

Innovation remains at the core of Ethicon’s activities focused on education and training. At IFSO, the company will present comprehensive proposals for bariatric surgeons throughout the world including:

• A Satellite Symposium on revisional surgery
• Meet the Expert Sessions introducing results of scientific research
• Panel Sessions dedicated to new trends in value-based health care
• Real-life or 3D interactions with high-performing products.

The company will also launch Ethicon’s Bariatric Revision Surgical Solution, a portfolio of products and solutions that help bariatric surgeons effectively manage surgery with precision, efficiency, consistency, appropriate handling and performance.

“Global congresses such as IFSO are great platforms for insightful discussions. In Dubai, we will engage with our extensive network of stakeholders on how outcomes and quality of life can be further improved for patients whilst delivering value at every point along the care pathway”, said Said Haddad, Ethicon Vice President for EMEA. “We want to promote dialogue on how to solve some of the most challenging problems in healthcare, in treatment, access, ethics and sustainable healthcare. We are committed to providing investment in addition to supporting the medical community with best practices and dissemination of high quality clinical data, such as the GATEWAY study, as well as providing training materials and training courses to surgeons.”

Over the last 20 years, Ethicon has invested significantly in the treatment of obesity and related diseases. Through a combination of enabling technologies, research, education and training, patient education, and policy initiatives, Ethicon has helped to establish bariatric surgery as the standard of care for patients with severe obesity. Based on this legacy of leadership and collaboration, bariatric surgeons can rely on Ethicon to provide comprehensive solutions that help surgeons effectively manage the challenges of both primary surgery and revision bariatric surgery.

“The field of metabolic and bariatric surgery has evolved significantly in the last decade, with a dramatic shift in general procedures and technology. With different techniques available, there is a need for more standardization and closer monitoring of all parts of the procedure to ensure that surgeons have the right competencies and can support their patients during the entire treatment journey - before, during and after the surgery,” said Tahir Yunus, bariatric surgeon KSA.

Obesity is causing a real global health emergency of pandemic proportions, placing an unsustainable burden on individuals and healthcare systems. In 2016, more than 1.6 billion people around the world were

overweight, with more than 650 million of them suffering from obesity. Approximately 23% of women and 20% of men in Europe are obese, while the rates among adults in the Middle East are higher, at over 34% in the UAE, over 38% in Kuwait and 41% in Qatar.

According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), obesity, type 2 diabetes (T2D), cancer, heart disease, stroke and arthritis - are among the most common, costly, and preventable of all health problems. Obesity and T2D are often managed with lifestyle changes and treated with one or more pharmacological agents, but only 20% of obese patients on dietary treatment maintain a weight loss of ≥10% after three years. Surgery has substantial and sustained effects on weight and significantly improves co-morbidities for most metabolic surgery patients, but less than 2% of eligible patients (those with a BMI >40) are treated annually in those countries with the highest metabolic surgery uptake.

Bariatric surgery has been shown to be the most effective long-term treatment for severe obesity and associated co-morbidities. The Gateway study confirmed that bariatric surgery can reduce or eliminate the need for high blood pressure medications in patients with obesity, often within one month. New research suggests that surgery is associated with significantly lower risk for microvascular complications in people with T2D. As is the case for any other chronic condition, after bariatric surgery lifelong management is required. In certain instances, a small percentage of patients may require revision surgery or a new treatment modality due to weight recidivism, weight regain, changes in anatomy, inadequate weight loss or co-morbidity reduction or complications.

Johnson & Johnson Medical and Ethicon are committed to the fight against obesity and metabolic disease. As a company, we invest continuously in scientific research and development of programs with local governments to build patient pathways and enhance standards of care across the globe.