SAN CLEMENTE, Calif., March 23, 2023 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) --  ReShape Lifesciences Inc. (Nasdaq: RSLS), the premier physician-led weight loss and metabolic health-solutions company, today announced the formation of a Scientific Advisory Board (SAB). Members include internationally recognized experts and surgeons in the obesity and metabolic disease fields. The newly created SAB will provide management with strategic input and external scientific review of the company’s development activities and product pipeline.

“The establishment of a SAB will provide us access to an extensive and unparalleled knowledge base as well as relationships and insights that will be invaluable as we continue to execute on our disciplined approach to drive revenue and expand our product pipeline, including our next-generation Lap-Band^® 2.0, which we expect to submit to the U.S. Food and Drug Administration for approval during the first half of this year,” stated Paul F. Hickey, President and Chief Executive Officer of ReShape Lifesciences. “The members of this advisory board will play a critical role as we help expand access for patients to safe and effective treatments for durable weight loss, improvements in obesity related comorbidities and quality of life.”

Jaime Ponce, M.D., Medical Director of the CHI Memorial Hospital’s Weight Management Center in Chattanooga, TN, and current President of the International Federation for Surgery of Obesity and Metabolic Disorders (IFSO) North America Chapter, added, “ReShape is a strong leader in the field of weight loss and metabolic health, with a portfolio of proven weight loss solutions including the Lap-Band^® System. I am honored to be included with this international team of experts and look forward to collaborating with all of the members to help guide ReShape in its quest to increase the utilization of the Lap-Band tool, which is backed by 25 years of clinical evidence and is the only FDA approved laparoscopic weight loss device on the U.S. market.”

Members of the ReShape SAB include:

• Caroline Apovian, M.D., is the Co-Director at the Center for Weight Management and Wellness in the Division of Endocrinology, Diabetes and Hypertension at Brigham and Women’s Hospital in Boston, MA, and a Professor of Medicine at Harvard Medical School. Dr. Apovian won the Distinguished Leader in Obesity Medicine award from the American Board of Obesity Medicine in 2020.
• Michael Baptista, M.D., is a bariatric, general and laparoscopic surgeon affiliated with the Bariatric Center of Excellence Memorial Hospital Jacksonville in Florida. Dr. Baptista is a published author in the weight loss field and has given many courses, both on how to perform bariatric surgery, and how to follow up with patients afterwards.
• Matt Brengman, M.D., is a board-certified general and bariatric surgeon practicing in Richmond and Fredericksburg, VA. Dr. Brengman pioneered the practice of advanced laparoscopy and laparoscopic bariatric surgery while at Walter Reed Army Medical Center. He is an active member of the American Society for Metabolic and Bariatric Surgery (ASMBS), currently serving as At-Large member of the Executive Council.
• John Dixon – MBBS, Ph.D., is currently an adjunct professor at the Iverson Health Innovation Research Institute, Swinburne University in Melbourne, Australia. He has focused on obesity research for over 20 years. He has published more than 300 research manuscripts and has been involved in all aspects of clinical obesity research, and in education and policy development.
• Francesco Furbetta, M.D., is a specialist in surgery of the digestive system and digestive endoscopies. He developed an interdisciplinary treatment of obesity and, since 1996, has been teaching Lap-Band training courses. He is a Professor of the Postgraduate Course in Laparoscopic Surgery at the University of Bari in Italy, a member of IFSO and a former director of the Italian Society of Obesity Surgery.
• Darrin Hansen, M.D., is currently a fellow of the American College of Surgeons and a member of the ASMBS. He is a Center of Excellence Surgeon for the Lap-Band procedure. He has also organized and instituted a research study on resolution for type 2 diabetic Lap-Band patients.
• Michael Orris, D.O., is a founding partner and lead surgeon at the Weight Loss Institute of Arizona and AZ Weight Loss Clinic. He currently serves as Chief Executive Officer of Advanced Surgical Weight Loss and is associate clinical professor at Midwestern University. Dr. Orris is a fellow of the ASMBS.
• Carl Pesta, D.O., is the Medical Director of the McLaren Macomb Bariatric Surgery Institute as well as a fellow with the American College of Osteopathic Surgeons. He is currently a member and fellow of the ASMBS and president of the ASMBS foundation. He is past president of the Michigan Bariatric Society.
• Jaime Ponce, M.D., is the Medical Director for the CHI Memorial’s Weight Management Center in Chattanooga, TN and current president of the IFSO North America Chapter and a member of the IFSO Executive Board. Dr. Ponce is a fellow of the American College of Surgeons as well as the ASMBS and is past president of the ASMBS and a founding member of the of the ASMBS Tennessee State Chapter.
• Christine Ren-Fielding, M.D., is currently the Professor of Surgery at NYU School of Medicine as well as the Director of the NYU Langone Weight Management Program and Chief of the Division of Bariatric Surgery. She is chairman of the membership committee of the NY State Chapter of ASMBS and recently won the Excellence in Clinical Care Award from the organization in 2022.
• Adam Smith, D.O., is a Bariatric Surgery Specialist and Chief Executive Officer of Ultimate Bariatrics in Fort Worth, TX. He is currently Chairman of Bariatric Surgery at Baylor Scott and White Medical Center Trophy Club and Associate Professor at University of North Texas Health Sciences Center. He is a member of ASMBS, is a surgical trainer for Lap-Band and has also been a Lap-Band patient, himself. Dr. Smith has lectured internationally on topics including obesity and the Lap-Band system.
• Shaw Somers M.D., FRCS, is a specialist Upper GI and Bariatric Surgeon at Streamline Surgical UK. He is past President of the British Obesity and Metabolic Surgery Society, council member of the association of Upper GI Surgery, and council member of the Parliamentary Advisory Group on Obesity.
• Erik Wilson, M.D., is presently the Medical Director of Bariatric Surgery at Memorial Hermann-Texas Medical Center, Professor of Surgery at the University of Texas Medical School at Houston, as well as the Director of the Minimally Invasive Surgeons of Texas (MIST). He is the Co-Founder of the Texas Association of Bariatric Surgery and is a Southeast Regional Board Member.

About ReShape Lifesciences Inc.

ReShape Lifesciences^® is America’s premier weight loss and metabolic health-solutions company, offering an integrated portfolio of proven products and services that manage and treat obesity and metabolic disease. The proprietary, FDA-approved, Lap-Band^® System provides minimally invasive, long-term treatment of obesity and is an alternative to more invasive surgical stapling procedures such as the gastric bypass or sleeve gastrectomy. ReShapeCare™ is a virtual weight-management program that supports lifestyle changes for all weight loss patients led by board-certified health coaches to help them keep the weight off over time. The recently launched ReShape Marketplace™ is an online collection of quality wellness products curated for all consumers to help them achieve their health goals. The investigational Diabetes Bloc-Stim Neuromodulation™ (DBSN™) system utilizes a proprietary vagus nerve block and stimulation technology platform for the treatment of Type 2 diabetes and metabolic disorders. The patented, Obalon^® balloon technology is a non-surgical, swallowable, gas-filled intra-gastric balloon that is designed to provide long-lasting weight loss. For more information, please visit www.reshapelifesciences.com. 

Contacts

ReShape Lifesciences Investor Contact:
Thomas Stankovich
Chief Financial Officer
949-276-6042
This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

Investor Relations Contact:
Rx Communications Group
Michael Miller
917-633-6086
This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.