HMR Weight Management Services to Present Research at 2014 ObesityWeek

BOSTON, Nov. 3, 2014 /PRNewswire/ -- HMR Weight Management Services (HMR), a wholly owned subsidiary of Merck, will present new research at ObesityWeek 2014. The research demonstrates the effectiveness of high intensity lifestyle intervention programs in supporting weight loss, which can lead to improvements in health risk factors and reduce the need for medications for patients.   

HMR will present findings from two new studies at poster sessions at the conference, being held in Boston from Nov. 2-7 by The Obesity Society and American Society for Metabolic and Bariatric Surgery. The conference convenes health care experts, physicians, obesity researchers and policymakers to advance the scientific understanding and clinical management of obesity.

"Consumers and physicians are awash in a sea of information about what is effective in weight loss," says Carol Addy, M.D., Chief Medical Officer at HMR. "Our research demonstrates that it is possible for overweight and obese individuals to achieve weight loss through programs that emphasize high intensity lifestyle intervention and behavioral coaching. The resulting weight loss can reduce risk factors for the development of conditions such as hypertension or diabetes, as well as decrease the need for medications in patients who have already developed these conditions."

HMR's programs, which are available in hospitals and medical centers or can be used by participants at home, focus on integrating diet, exercise and positive lifestyle skill acquisition through weekly coaching. The programs have demonstrated clinically significant weight loss outcomes in clinical studies.

HMR's most recent studies, which will be featured this week at ObesityWeek in the Boston Convention and Exhibition Center, include:

• "High Intensity Lifestyle Intervention and Use of Meal Replacements is Associated with Clinically Meaningful Weight Loss"
  This study found that high intensity lifestyle intervention, delivered in a program such as HMR, is associated with clinically meaningful weight loss. Such weight loss can result in improved health risk factors and decreased medication use.
  
  A retrospective study of 721 obese patients participating in an HMR clinic program showed a mean decrease in initial body weight of nearly 19 percent. The mean duration of program participation was approximately two years, and more than 80 percent of patients in the study had at least a 10 percent reduction of their initial body weight at follow-up. Weight loss in this study was associated with decreases in total cholesterol, triglycerides, fasting plasma glucose, systolic and diastolic blood pressure, and decreased use of medications used to treat diabetes, high blood pressure and lipid disorders in some patients.
  
  The poster, number T-2083-P, will be featured on Tues., Nov. 4 from 11:30 a.m. to 1:00 p.m.

• "Patients Who are Eligible for Bariatric Surgery Achieve Clinically Significant Weight Loss Maintenance and Biometric Changes Through Lifestyle Intervention Using Meal Replacements"
  This study found that HMR's high intensity lifestyle intervention programs, which include the use of meal replacements and increased physical activity, can produce clinically significant weight loss, which may provide an alternative to bariatric surgery for some eligible patients following consultation with their physician.
  
  A retrospective analysis of 441 obese adults with a BMI ≥ 40 participating in an HMR clinic program achieved clinically significant weight loss. The mean duration of program participation was approximately two years, and nearly 85 percent of patients had a weight loss of greater than 10 percent of their initial body weight at follow-up.  Weight loss in some patients in this study was associated with favorable biometric changes and a reduction in use of medications for treatment of diabetes, high blood pressure or lipid disorders.
  
  The poster, number T-2569-P, will be featured on Thurs., Nov. 6 from 12:00 p.m. to 1:30 p.m.

About HMR Weight Management Services (HMR)

HMR Weight Management Services (HMR) is a wholly owned subsidiary of Merck Sharp & Dohme Corp. specializing in weight loss and weight management. HMR programs offer lifestyle education; structured diets; and an emphasis on long-term weight and health management.  Founded in 1983 by Lawrence T.P. Stifler, Ph.D., HMR is one of the leading providers of medically based weight management programs in clinics, hospitals and major medical centers throughout the United States.  Headquartered in Boston, HMR provides programs and support services to hundreds of medically based obesity-treatment centers across the country.

Merck Forward-Looking Statement

This news release includes "forward-looking statements" within the meaning of the safe harbor provisions of the United States Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995.  These statements are based upon the current beliefs and expectations of Merck's management and are subject to significant risks and uncertainties.  If underlying assumptions prove inaccurate or risks or uncertainties materialize, actual results may differ materially from those set forth in the forward-looking statements.

Risks and uncertainties include but are not limited to, general industry conditions and competition; general economic factors, including interest rate and currency exchange rate fluctuations; the impact of pharmaceutical industry regulation and health care legislation in the United States and internationally; global trends toward health care cost containment; technological advances, new products and patents attained by competitors; challenges inherent in new product development, including obtaining regulatory approval; Merck's ability to accurately predict future market conditions; manufacturing difficulties or delays; financial instability of international economies and sovereign risk; dependence on the effectiveness of Merck's patents and other protections for innovative products; and the exposure to litigation, including patent litigation, and/or regulatory actions.

Merck undertakes no obligation to publicly update any forward-looking statement, whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise.  Additional factors that could cause results to differ materially from those described in the forward-looking statements can be found in Merck's 2013 Annual Report on Form 10-K and the company's other filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) available at the SEC's Internet site (www.sec.gov).

SOURCE HMR Weight Management Services