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Obesity Intervention: A New Era Of Discovery And Innovation

Driven by a vast and underserved market in dire need of safer, less-invasive, more effective solutions, manufacturers are developing several next-generation devices for the minimally invasive treatment of obesity. Many of these emerging devices not only mimic the restriction and malabsorption mechanisms involved in bariatric surgery, but are also designed to influence the metabolic responses that are key to losing weight, improving outcomes, and impacting chronic disease. Indeed the obesity intervention paradigm is rapidly changing as ongoing research provides new insights into the underlying mechanisms behind obesity and bariatric surgery, heralding a new era where the primary treatment target for bariatric surgery is becoming disease specific, rather than targeted at obesity alone.

If necessity is the mother of invention, then it should be no surprise that minimally invasive obesity devices continue to be a hot area for investment, research, and innovation. Obesity is one of the most compelling public health problems today, with nearly two-thirds of US adults and one-third of children either overweight or obese. By 2030, some 42% of all Americans are expected to be obese, up from 36% in 2010. Although the rate of growth in obesity has leveled off for some subpopulations since 2003, the numbers of morbidly obese (BMI [body mass index] > or = 40 kg/m2) continue to grow faster than any other group. Approximately 18 million Americans currently are considered morbidly obese, and experts predict the prevalence of morbid obesity will more than double in the years ahead, increasing from roughly 5% today to 11% over the next two decades. (See Exhibit 1.)

The economic burden of the obesity epidemic is staggering. Obesity accounts for nearly 21% of overall US health care costs,...

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