Wow - what a fantastic food intake — is now the focus of a fierce competition pitting consumer-products giant Johnson & Johnson against Botox maker Allergan Inc. Venture-capital-backed outpatient centers are popping up to implant the bands. Growing ranks of surgeons are touting the procedure at free public seminars. All see a vast market in a country where diet and exercise programs have failed to slow an obesity epidemic.

Lap-Band v. Gastric Bypass Image

A number of recent studies suggest that gastric banding is safer than gastric bypass, and some data suggest comparable, if slower, weight-loss results. Improvements in surgical techniques and follow-up care have helped gastric banding become the dominant weight-loss operation in Europe and Australia. Credit Suisse analyst Marc Goodman predicts that gastric banding will account for half of all weight-loss surgeries by 2010, up from about 30% today.

GASTRIC BANDWAGON

• What’s New: Once dismissed as a gimmick, gastric banding is now seen by some in the medical industry as the next big thing in elective surgery.
  
• The Players: Industry giants Johnson & Johnson and Allergan, as well as venture-capital firms that are backing outpatient centers.
  
• Patient Concerns: The silicone device can shift after surgery, causing it to lose effectiveness. And patients may eventually need another surgery to replace or remove it.
  

This was a REALLY good article... I posted it myself yesterday thinking that people would dig it, but no one read it! :puke:

Maybe with all your info IN the post itself, more people will read it. :biggrin2:

Good article thanks for sharing.

Mandilou, perhaps it is a little preaching to the choir because we know how fabulous the band is already! LOL.

I did read it Mandy, but I've been convinced already. lol