FDA OKs Hunger-Control Device

For the first time since 2007, the FDA has approved a new device to treat obesity. The Maestro Rechargeable System, when implanted in the abdomen, sends electronic pulses that disrupt the stomach’s signals to the brain saying it is empty. While the device did not meet its goal of weight loss of 10 percent or more, an FDA advisory panel considered that its benefits outweighed its risks. In the trial, patients with the implant lost 85 percent more weight than the control group.