Approved as a long-term treatment option for obese patients with a body-mass index of 35 to 55, Aspire Bariatrics is positioning its AspireAssist device as a less-invasive alternative to bariatric surgery in the population of morbidly obese individuals who are most often recommended for a procedure. The system includes an endoscopically implanted tube and a port used by the patient to drain contents of the stomach and reduce calories absorbed.
Aspire Bariatrics Inc. expects to start placing its AspireAssist stomach-draining device for obese patients at clinical facilities within the next month now that it has gained FDA approval.
"We are more or less ready to launch now," the firm's CEO Katherine Crothall said in an interview. "We have the product and it is just a question of providers...