Medgadget previously reported on the first U.S. implantation of the vBloc Neurometabolic Therapy system, an FDA-approved medical device for treating obesity as well as metabolic and gastrointestinal disorders. The device functions as a type of pacemaker by delivering intermittent low-energy, high-frequency electrical impulses to the vagus nerve, thereby blocking its activity. EnteroMedics Inc., the developer of the device, recently announced publication of a report detailing the outcome of their multicenter randomized clinical trial. The trial investigated the effect of vBloc Neurometabolic Therapy on moderately obese patients with a comorbidity related to obesity, such as elevated cholesterol or blood pressure.
The results of the trial showed significantly more weight loss over 12 months in patients treated with vBloc therapy versus controls. The device was shown to be both safe and effective over this time period, and follow-up of longer-term data to examine the durability of these findings is planned. The results of the current trial support the use of vagal nerve blockade in the treatment of moderate obesity and related comorbidities in patients who are unwilling or unable to receive more aggressive surgical weight loss treatments, such as gastric bypass surgery.
Published manuscript in journal Obesity Surgery: Effect of Vagal Nerve Blockade on Moderate Obesity with an Obesity-Related Comorbid Condition: the ReCharge Study
Via: EnteroMedics
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