Eisai Helps Address Gaps in Obesity Education with Website Designed for Physicians

Obesity Education Network Provides Tools to Help Physicians Assess and Manage Patients Who are Overweight or Obese

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May 15, 2014, 08:55 ET

WOODCLIFF LAKE, N.J., May 15, 2014 /PRNewswire/ -- Eisai Inc. today announced the launch of a website that will provide physicians with access to comprehensive clinical information that addresses obesity screening and risk assessment, provider-patient partnerships and weight loss management. The website, called the Obesity Education Network (OEN), www.obesityeducationnetwork.com, was developed under the guidance of a group of weight management experts and will be updated on quarterly basis.

"Few medical schools include weight loss management in their curriculum, and numerous studies have highlighted the need for additional physician education about chronic weight loss management," said Francesca Dea, Executive Director, The Obesity Society. "Medical information such as that being offered on the Obesity Education Network website is extremely valuable to physicians who work with patients to help them manage this complex condition."

"Physicians play a critical role in helping patients combat this health epidemic," said Gary Palmer, Chief Medical Officer and Vice President, Medical Affairs at Eisai Inc. "It is our hope that this website will provide physicians with clinically relevant information that will aid in the diagnosis and management of patients who are overweight or obese."

About the Obesity Education Network (OEN)
The OEN is a website specifically designed to provide primary care physicians with an online, educational hub for obesity education resources. These on-demand resources include videos, case studies, and downloadable modules, which are organized into clinical forums to provide physicians with a structured learning platform. Additionally, to ensure that the information is clinically relevant, all content is developed under the expert guidance of Eisai's paid consultants who serve on the OEN editorial board, including:

David Allison, Ph.D., Director of the Nutrition Obesity Research Center, funded by the National Institutes of Health and Director of the Office of Energetics at the University of Alabama at Birmingham. He also serves on the faculty at the University of Alabama holding the titles of Distinguished Professor Quetelet, Endowed Professor of Public Health and Associate Dean for Science.
Robert Henry, M.D., Chief of the Center for Metabolic Research and Chief of the Section of Endocrinology, Metabolism, and Diabetes at the Veterans Affairs Medical Center in San Diego, California. Dr. Henry is also Professor of the Medicine Division in Endocrinology and Metabolism at the University of California, San Diego.
Scott Kahan, M.D., Director of the National Center for Weight and Wellness in Washington, DC, and Director of the Strategies to Overcome and Prevent (STOP) Obesity Alliance at George Washington University. Dr. Kahan is a practicing obesity medicine physician and a health policy specialist focusing on obesity and chronic disease prevention and treatment. He serves on the faculty at Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health and George Washington University School of Public Health and Health Services and is a Clinical Professor at George Washington University.

About Eisai Inc.
At Eisai Inc., human health care is our goal. We give our first thoughts to patients and their families, and helping to increase the benefits health care provides. As the U.S. pharmaceutical subsidiary of Tokyo-based Eisai Co., Ltd., we have a passionate commitment to patient care that is the driving force behind our efforts to help address unmet medical needs. We are a fully integrated pharmaceutical business with discovery, clinical, manufacturing and marketing capabilities. Our key areas of commercial focus include oncology and specialty care (Alzheimer's disease, epilepsy and metabolic disorders). To learn more about Eisai Inc., please visit us at www.eisai.com/US.

Eisai Inc. has affiliates that are part of a global product creation organization that includes R&D facilities in Massachusetts, New Jersey, North Carolina and Pennsylvania, as well as a global demand chain organization that includes manufacturing facilities in Maryland and North Carolina. Eisai's global areas of R&D focus include neuroscience; oncology; metabolic disorders; vascular, inflammatory and immunological reaction; and antibody-based programs.