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Dr Jaime Ponce has officially assumed the presidency of the International Federation for the Surgery and Other Therapies for Obesity (IFSO) during the closing ceremony of the XXIX IFSO World Congress in Toronto. Ponce received the leadership of the Federation from outgoing President, Dr Khaled Gawdat of Egypt, whom he recognised for his dedicated service and important contributions to IFSO and the global obesity-care community. "It is a tremendous honour to serve as President

Epicyt Pharma has announced positive topline results from its Phase 1/2a first-in-human study of BAFA, a first‑in‑class oral drug candidate combining a bile acid and a short‑chain fatty acid to enhance intestinal calcium uptake, in patients following Roux-en-Y gastric bypass (RYGB) surgery. The study demonstrated a statistically significant reduction in urinary calcium excretion together with improvements in key biomarkers of calcium homeostasis. Based on these encouraging fi

Metabolic and bariatric surgery improves menstrual cycle frequency and symptoms of polycystic ovaries in women living with obesity, according to a study from the University of Surrey. The research team recommends that preconception care and reproductive counselling be made available to women who undergo this weight-loss surgery to help improve their reproductive health. During the study, Surrey researchers investigated the impact of metabolic surgery on the menstrual cycle, h

Researchers at Pennington Biomedical Research Center, led by Dr Vance Albaugh and lead author of the study, have reported that patients with extreme obesity are more common among those undergoing metabolic and bariatric surgery than previously recognised. However, although they face a greater burden of certain health conditions and surgical complications, their overall surgical risk remains relatively low, according to the study. Figure 1: Credit- PBRC Comorbidity burden of M

Researchers at NYU Abu Dhabi have developed BRIDGE (Biodegradable aRchitected Internal DrainaGE), a biodegradable, 3D-printed gastric stent that could improve treatment for gastric leaks, a serious complication following bariatric surgery. By combining an advanced internal lattice design with biodegradable materials, the new device more than doubles drainage performance while potentially eliminating the need for a second procedure to remove the stent after healing, the resear

According to Professor Ahmed Ahmed, President of the British Obesity and Metabolic Specialist Society, robotic metabolic and bariatric surgery (rMBS) in the UK is still in the early stage of adoption. He said that there are several reasons why the speciality has been slower to adopt this technology compared with other surgical specialities such as urology, thoracic or colorectal. Ahmed Ahmed “I believe one of the reasons is so far there is no clear benefit of rMBS over the mo

Amylyx Pharmaceuticals has announced positive topline results from LUCIDITY, a 78-participant, multi-centre, randomised, double-blind, placebo-controlled Phase 3 clinical trial evaluating the efficacy and safety of avexitide, an investigational, first-in-class glucagon-like peptide-1 (GLP-1) receptor antagonist, in participants with post-bariatric hypoglycemia (PBH) following Roux-en-Y gastric bypass (RYGB) surgery. LUCIDITY met the FDA-agreed-upon primary endpoint demonstrat

An international study led by King’s College London, UK, has found that proposed new obesity definitions give greater insight into the ill health of metabolic bariatric surgery (MBS) candidates, compared with Body Mass Index (BMI). The study, found that people considered for MBS had marked variation in disease burden – the number and severity of diseases – and operation-related risks, despite having similar BMI. However, by reviewing clinical data from thousands of bariatric

Preoperative Glucagon-like peptide-1 receptor agonists (GLP-1 RAs) neither augment nor detract from metabolic and bariatric surgery (MBS), at least for the first 12 months postoperatively, according to the study by researchers from the School of Medicine, University of California, San Francisco. GLP-1 RAs use has risen dramatically with some patients treated with GLP-1 RAs1 later pursue MBS. However, the researchers noted that preoperative GLP-1 RA exposure influences post-op

Minister of Health (MoH) of Kuwait has issued new standards for regulating metabolic bariatric surgeries (MBS) and non-surgical interventional procedures in public and private healthcare facilities. The Ministry has established a comprehensive regulatory framework based on clear standards covering healthcare facilities, medical practitioners, patient selection and assessment, follow-up procedures, and monitoring of outcomes and complications. The standards take effect immedia