San Francisco, Calif., May 26, 2015 – The Institute for Clinical and Economic Review (ICER) has released the draft report Controversies in Obesity Management for public comment. Following the public comment period, ICER will issue a revised draft report that will be the subject of deliberation and vote at the July 14, 2015 public meeting of the California Technology Assessment Forum (CTAF) in Los Angeles, California. The report aims to help stakeholders understand the evidence on the comparative clinical and cost-effectiveness of multiple medical and surgical approaches to weight loss for patients with a body mass index (BMI) of 25 or higher.

In the report, ICER examines four bariatric procedures, three devices, and four medications, as shown below:

Procedures commonly used in the US:

  • Roux-en-Y gastric bypass
  • laparoscopic adjustable gastric banding
  • vertical sleeve gastrectomy
  • biliopancreatic diversion (with or without duodenal switch)

Devices:

  • temporary intragastric balloon systems (e.g. Silimed®, ReShape®)
  • vagus nerve block devices (Maestro®)
  • duodenal-jejunal bypass liner (Endobarrier®)

Medications:

  • naltrexone/bupropion sustained-release (Contrave®)
  • phentermine/topiramate extended-release (Qsymia®)
  • lorcaserin (BELVIQ®)
  • liraglutide (Saxenda®)

As part of the revised CTAF public engagement process, the draft report and draft voting questions will be open to comment until June 9 at 5:00 PM PT. ICER will then review all comments received, edit the draft report and draft voting questions as necessary, and release a revised draft report and voting questions on June 23. Guidelines for submitting public comments are posted on the CTAF website.

Meeting Details

Day and time: Tuesday, July 14, 2015, 9:30 AM – 3:30 PM PT
Location: The California Endowment, 1000 N. Alameda St., Los Angeles, CA 90012

Members of the public wishing to attend the meeting should register by July 10, 2015 by clicking here. Members of the public wishing to view a webcast of the meeting should register by July 10, 2015 by clicking here. Members of the public wishing to deliver an oral comment during the public meeting must email ctaf@icer-review.org by 5:00 PM PT, Tuesday, July 7, 2015. Availability of time slots for public comments is limited.

A recording of the July 14, 2015 meeting will be available on the CTAF website following the meeting for members of the public unable to attend in person.