SAN CLEMENTE, Calif., Oct. 4, 2011 /PRNewswire/ -- ReShape Medical®, Inc. today announced it has appointed Richard Thompson as president and chief executive officer.  Interim CEO, Ken Charhut, will continue to serve in his current role as the chairman of the board for ReShape Medical.  

Previously, Mr. Thompson served as the founder, president and CEO of Luminous Medical, Inc., an innovative glucose monitoring company based in Carlsbad, California.  He has also served as the president, CEO and chairman of the board of the drug-delivery company, Aradigm Corporation and as co-founder and president of LifeScan, Inc.  He is currently a board member at Intuity Medical, Inc. and Asante Medical.

"We are very fortunate to have someone with Rick's tremendous experience building companies in consumer directed healthcare, from the earliest stages through commercialization, join the ReShape team," said Mr. Charhut.  "The company is at a formative stage moving through regulatory and early commercial experience.  Rick is well-suited to lead the ReShape team and company successfully through this stage."

Mr. Thompson said, "ReShape is in an excellent position to provide leadership in the underserved anti-obesity market.  It's very exciting to join at a time when the company can begin to see its hard work becoming a reality.  I look forward to working with the talented ReShape team to get the first product to market."

About ReShape Medical, Inc.

ReShape Medical is a medical device manufacturer headquartered in Southern California.  The company is focused on the development of a non-surgical weight loss device, the ReShape Duo™, to be used as an aid in the treatment of obese or overweight patients.  The ReShape Duo is a dual-balloon designed for people seeking weight loss support, without the invasiveness of surgery or side effects of drugs.  The device occupies existing space in the stomach to reduce its capacity for food. CAUTION – Investigational device. Limited by United States law to investigational use.

SOURCE ReShape Medical, Inc.