The FDA is considering relaxing qualification requirements for LAP BAND, a brand of adjustable gastric banding provided by Hospital Angeles for $5,000 during the holidays, when demand for LAP-BAND is typically highest.
On Wednesday, the FDA acknowledged that a new study by Allergan demonstrates that obese patients having the LAP BAND procedure experienced statistically significant weight loss. An advisory committee to the FDA is currently evaluating a request to lower the BMI requirements to qualify for the gastric banding procedure.
If the FDA agrees to lower the obesity requirement required for adjustable gastric banding surgery, millions of Americans will be newly qualified for the non-invasive procedure. The current guideline requires patients to have a Body Mass Index of between 35 and 40, depending on the presence of comorbidities. Allergan has proposed lowering the BMI requirement to 30.
Many obesity experts agree that LAP-BAND surgery has proven to be the only way many people can achieve and maintain a significant weight loss, and argue that the proven safety of the procedure justifies a change in the safety thresholds set by the National Institutes of Health in 1991. This argument is well-demonstrated at Hospital Angles Tijuana, where Allergan’s LAP-BAND has been placed in more than 6,000 American patients.
Hospital Angeles Tijuana has become a preferred destination for weight loss surgery among international patients since opening in 2006. Part of the largest private hospital network in Mexico, the state of the art facility features leading gastroenterologist surgeon Dr. Juan Lopez Corvala, acting President of the Mexican Association of Endoscopic Surgery and an internationally recognized professor of bariatrics, presenting at this year’s American Society for Metabolic and Bariatric Surgery Conference on Extreme Bariatric Surgery and the International Federation for the Surgery of Obesity and Metabolic Disorders 15th World Congress.
A recent spate diet pills has failed to receive FDA approval, which limits options for the increasing overweight Americans, making weight loss surgery, particularly noninvasive options such as gastric banding and the newer gastric plication, will become more of a frontline option rather than a last resort.
Patients can inquire about their qualification for LAP-BAND surgery by contacting the international patient department at Hospital Angeles 866.668.9263. Adolescent candidates are accepted but must meet special requirements including strong parental involvement and commitment.
