FDA recommends Extending Weight-Loss Surgery Eligibility

A recent front-page article in the Philadelphia Inquirer highlighted an FDA advisory panel recommendation to allow doctors to use the adjustable gastric band – a less invasive form of weight-loss surgery – in patients with milder obesity.

Under the new guidelines, people with a body mass index (BMI) of 30 to 35 and weight-related medical complications of obesity would qualify. Currently the device is only approved for people with BMIs of 40 and higher, or 35 to 40 with other medical complications.

The article includes comments from Penn Metabolic and Bariatric Surgery Program faculty Noel Williams, MD, FRCSI, David Sarwer, PhD, and Thomas Wadden, PhD.

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