The obesity epidemic is a staggering public health problem and despite increased attention and education, the WHO still predicts the number of obese adults worldwide to increase from 400 million to 700 million between 2005 and 2015. More and more people are turning to bariatric surgery as a last resort. Despite a slow economy, demand remains strong, even despite its being classified as an elective procedure for most individuals.

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Kerala’s state promoted fisheries co-operative Matsyafed has developed a marine-based health product, that it claims would help in reducing obesity, as reported by the Press Trust of India (PTI). Extracted from the exoskeleton of fresh marine prawns, crabs and lobsters (chitosan), the product named ‘Chitone’ would hit the Indian market in December and its production has already started in agency’s Neendakara plant in Kollam.

Japan’s Takeda Pharmaceutical Co. will pay as much as $1 billion to Amylin Pharmaceuticals Inc. to co-develop the U.S. company’s obesity treatments. The purchase may help Takeda buffer losses after Actos, its top seller with $4 billion generated for the year ended March 31, loses patent protection in January 2011. The drugmaker needs products to replace sales lost when U.S. regulators delayed approval of a combination diabetes therapy that includes Actos.

According to the Centers for Disease Control (CDC), childhood obesity has increased significantly over the last three decades. Since 1980, the percentage of obese children has doubled and the number of obese adolescents has tripled. Childhood obesity has numerous medical and social implications and Dothan Pediatricians say one of the biggest concerns is the high risk of developing obesity as an adult. Overweight adolescents are more likely to be obese adults and that chance increases if one parent is obese.

A new study conducted by a group of researchers led by Professor Bill Ledger from the University of Sheffield has suggested that minor weight loss in obese women could boost their chances of getting pregnant. The study was conducted on 40 obese women who were not ovulating, with several of them suffering from polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS).

Stirling Products has received the first approval for its patent application for “Methods of decreasing fat deposits and body weight in mammals and birds” in New Zealand. The patent relates to the use of the company’s R-salbutamol compound. The product has the potential to reduce body weight. CEO and Managing Director of Stirling Products, Dr Calvin London said that he hoped that a series of approvals in other countries would follow. The company has already conducted studies for the compound on obese male Zucker rats.

The Committee for Medicinal Products for Human Use (CHMP) has given positive opinion as a non-prescription product to GlaxoSmithKline’s alli (orlistat 60 mg). This takes the product to the stage of proposal for final approval by the European Commission. A marketing authorization will follow that. On the grant of license, alli 60 mg would become the first aid for weight loss to be available without prescription across Europe. It will be indicated for people above the age of 18 with a BMI more than 28 kg/m2.

The European Medicines Agency (EMEA) has made a recommendation to the European Commission (EC) for suspending Acomplia’s marketing authorization temporarily for the treatment of obese patients. The regulatory body concluded that the risks of Acomplia outweigh its benefits. Side effects such as depression have been a part of the warnings ever since the product was authorized in 2006. Sanofi-aventis is complying with the order, but believes that its product will continue to be an effective treatment.

A recent research conducted at the Mayo Clinic in Rochester, Minnesota has concluded that obese patients can consider bariatric surgery for reducing the risk of adverse cardiovascular events. This is the first ever study to take into account validated scores for cardiovascular risk on a patient population and compare them with previous results. The results showed that cardiovascular risk was reduced by up to 79 per cent.

Researchers from Vitagenes (a company that is a  part of the Campus program promoted by the University of Granada) in collaboration with some Australian scientists have discovered a new pattern/model of the molecule called interleukin-6 that may prove to be a boon for the patients suffering from obesity and diabetes. It was injected daily for two weeks. Then, its behavior and effects on the metabolism were analyzed. It was found that the molecule can help in development of drugs that can be beneficial in preventing and treating obesity. The study has been carried out on animals.