Ethicon Showcases Leading Edge Solutions Beyond The O.R. To Empower Patients And Providers In Fight Against Obesity At ObesityWeek™ 2017

WASHINGTON, Oct. 31, 2017 /PRNewswire/ -- Ethicon*, part of the Johnson & Johnson Medical Devices Companies**, and a leader in bariatric surgery for more than 15 years, continues to innovate both inside and outside the operating room with innovations that span novel technologies, groundbreaking research, and professional education.  Now, Ethicon is partnering with Johnson & Johnson Health & Wellness Solutions to introduce a new digital platform and smartphone app offering resources and decision-making tools for patients considering weight loss surgery. The company made the announcement today at ObesityWeek™ 2017 (#OW2017), an international scientific conference that brings together world-renowned experts in the field of obesity and bariatric surgery.

Ethicon is engaged in a multi-year, multi-million-dollar effort to combat obesity through the development of innovative products and services that enhance the patient experience.  Ethicon is also sponsoring ground-breaking research that demonstrates the impact of bariatric surgery on obesity and related diseases including type 2 diabetes and heart disease.

"We are focused on bringing innovative devices to market, filling evidence gaps, and providing resources with the goal of optimizing outcomes and helping to break down the clinical, societal, economic, psychological and policy barriers that prevent people from getting life-changing weight loss surgery," said Michael del Prado, Company Group Chairman, Ethicon.

The company will introduce Johnson & Johnson Health Partner for Weight Loss Surgery, a new digital platform created by Johnson & Johnson Health and Wellness Solutions that is designed to help people thinking about weight loss surgery better understand their options and make informed decisions about treatment, and to help those that go on to have surgery stay on track and get physical, mental and emotional support as they get back to living their fullest lives.

"We believe providing patients and healthcare professionals with the tools and resources they need throughout the entire weight loss surgery experience is essential to success," said Elliott Fegelman, MD, Therapeutic Area Lead for Metabolics, Ethicon. "From making the important decision to seek treatment to adopting a healthy lifestyle after surgery, patients need support. Health Partner for Weight Loss Surgery can help provide it digitally, through evidence-based behavioral science techniques and best clinical practices."

The Health Partner for Weight Loss Surgery website provides comprehensive information for those considering surgery about the range of surgical options, the risks and benefits of each procedure, real life patient stories, recipes specifically designed for weight loss surgery patients, a tool to navigate insurance requirements and a surgeon locator. Visit the Health Partner for Weight Loss Surgery website at www.weightlosssurgery.thehealthpartner.com.

The app features easy to use and engaging tools that help patients set healthy weight loss goals, monitor their nutrition, diet and exercise, track their progress, and keep them motivated after surgery. The app is available on iTunes, and soon on Android.  In 2018, a digital portal will be added to the app to facilitate two-way communication between patients and their healthcare providers, who can keep up-to-date on patient progress, activities and challenges.

Ethicon Technology Solutions on Display at ObesityWeek 2017
At ObesityWeek, in addition to Health Partner for Weight Loss Surgery, Ethicon is featuring its broad range of bariatric surgery devices including the ECHELON FLEX™ GST System, a surgeon-controlled powered stapler and reload system designed to enable precision stapling performance with uniform staple line formation across the widest range of tissue thickness, making it ideally suited for bariatric surgery.

Other surgical solutions on display include the ProxiSure™ Suturing Device designed to enable precise suturing in tight spaces in minimally invasive surgery, the HARMONIC^® portfolio of ultrasound devices, STRATAFIX™ Knotless Tissue Control Devices, and LINX^®, a novel minimally invasive device for the surgical treatment of GERD. Visit Ethicon at Booth 601 during ObesityWeek 2017 for more information.

Long-Term Commitment to Professional Education
Ethicon provides a comprehensive suite of bariatric professional education programs to advance surgical care. During ObesityWeek, the company will be demonstrating Touch Surgery, a 3-D app-based surgical simulation platform that lets surgeons practice surgery from anywhere.  After using the app, novice doctors had the same understanding as experts of the basic steps of a surgical procedure,¹ and knowledge was acquired more quickly compared to traditional training methods such as reading or watching videos.²

Ethicon-Supported Research and Evidence
Ethicon sponsors a range of clinical research including randomized clinical trials such as the landmark STAMPEDE study, whose five-year outcomes were published in The New England Journal of Medicine (NEJM) earlier this year. The study showed bariatric surgery with intensive medical therapy is a better long-term treatment than intensive medical therapy alone for obese patients with uncontrolled type 2 diabetes.³  

The work of STAMPEDE continues in ARMMS (Alliance of Randomized trials of Medicine versus Metabolic Surgery in type 2 diabetes), a study that combines STAMPEDE and three other trials that will assess the impact of surgery for up to 10 years.

Facts about Obesity and Bariatric Surgery
The worldwide prevalence of obesity more than doubled between 1980 and 2014. According to the World Health Organization (WHO), more than 1.9 billion adults were overweight in 2014. Of this group, more than 600 million have obesity.⁴ In the United States, more than 2 in 3 adults are overweight or have obesity, and about 1 in 13 are considered to have extreme obesity.⁵

Data suggests bariatric surgery has the greatest weight loss results of any treatment options for those with severe obesity,⁶ yet only 1 percent of the 26 million surgically-eligible patients in the U.S. have surgery each year.  Obesity is the second leading cause of preventable death in the U.S.⁷ and contributes to more than 40 other diseases, including high cholesterol, stroke, type 2 diabetes, heart disease, cancer and arthritis.⁸

About Ethicon
From creating the first sutures, to revolutionizing surgery with minimally invasive procedures, Ethicon, part of the Johnson & Johnson Medical Devices Companies, has made significant contributions to surgery for more than 60 years. Our continuing dedication to Shape the Future of Surgery is built on our commitment to help address the world's most pressing healthcare issues, and improve and save more lives. Through Ethicon's surgical technologies and solutions including sutures, staplers, energy devices, trocars and hemostats and our commitment to treat serious medical conditions like obesity worldwide, we deliver innovation to make a life-changing impact. Learn more at www.ethicon.com, and follow us on Twitter @Ethicon.

Important Safety Information - Bariatric Surgery
This procedure is for the treatment of patients suffering from severe obesity only. Patients should consult their physicians to determine if this procedure is appropriate for their condition. All surgery presents risk. Risk of bariatric surgery are generally low and similar to other commonly performed procedures like gallbladder surgery. Risks include adverse reactions to medications, problems with anesthesia, problems with breathing, bleeding, blood clots, inadvertent injury to nearby organs and blood vessels, nutritional deficiency, even death.

LINX® Reflux Management System
The LINX^® Reflux Management System is a laparoscopic, fundic-sparing anti-reflux procedure indicated for patients diagnosed with Gastroesophageal Reflux Disease (GERD) as defined by abnormal pH testing, and who are seeking an alternative to continuous acid suppression therapy (i.e. proton pump inhibitors or equivalent) in the management of their GERD.
Rx Only
Contraindications:  Do not implant the LINX System in patients with suspected or known allergies to titanium, stainless steel, nickel or ferrous materials.
Warnings:  The LINX device is considered MR Conditional in a magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) system up to either 0.7 Tesla (0.7T) or 1.5 Tesla (1.5T), depending on the LINX model implanted. Laparoscopic placement of the LINX device is major surgery.
General Precautions:  The LINX device is a long-term implant for use in patients 21 years or older. Medical management of adverse reactions may include explantation and/or replacement. 
Potential Risks Associated with LINX System:  belching, decreased appetite, device erosion, device migration (device does not appear to be at implant site), dysphagia (difficulty swallowing), flatulence, hiccups, inability to belch or vomit, infection, nausea, odynophagia (painful swallowing), pain, regurgitation, stomach bloating, weight loss, and worsening of preoperative symptoms.
For more information on the LINX Reflux Management System, contact your physician or Torax Medical, Inc.
For full patient information visit www.linxforlife.com or www.toraxmedical.com.

*Ethicon represents the products and services of Ethicon, Inc., Ethicon Endo-Surgery, LLC and certain of their affiliates.
**The Johnson & Johnson Medical Devices Companies comprise the surgery, orthopedics, and cardiovascular businesses within Johnson & Johnson's Medical Devices segment.
^# All surgery presents risk.  Please consult with your doctor.

The third-party trademarks used herein are trademarks of their respective owners. 

¹  Sugand K, et al. Training e ect of using Touch Surgery™ for intramedullary femoral nailing. Injury. 2016;47(2):448-52. doi: 10.1016/j.injury.2015.09.036.
² Brewer Z. E, et al. Creation and Global Deployment of a Mobile, Application-Based Cognitive Simulator for Cardiac Surgical Procedures. Semin Thorac Cardiovasc Surg. 2016;28(1):1-9. doi: 10.1053/j.semtcvs.2016.02.006
³ http://www.nejm.org/doi/full/10.1056/NEJMoa1600869
⁴ http://www.who.int/mediacentre/factsheets/fs311/en/
⁵ https://www.niddk.nih.gov/health-information/health-statistics/overweight-obesity
⁶ Kaplan LM, et al. Bariatric-Times. 2012;9(9 suppl C):C12_C13 
⁷ Stommel M, et al. Obesity (Silver Spring). 2010;18(9):1821_1826.
⁸ Kaplan L. J Gastrointest Surg. 2003;7(4) proceeding;443_451.

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