Mental Health and Obesity Conference, Toronto, May 14, 2014
Wednesday, May 14, 2014
Today I am in Toronto attending the 2nd National Conference on Mental Health and Obesity organised by the Canadian Obesity Network.
The program of this year’s conference focuses on the clinical management of managing obesity in individuals with mental health problems, a not uncommon problem in clinical practice.
The sessions also include an update on behavioural treatments and dealing with addiction issues.
I certainly look forward to a most interesting conference on an issue that I think is of prime importance to our patients.
@DrSharma
Toronto, ON
Wednesday, May 14, 2014
Hi Dr. Sharma,
I popped back around today to confess that I really don’t know nearly enough to comment so brazenly about such things as patent laws and drug licensing—nor enough, I suspect, to make assumptions about the secret motives of drug company CEOs. 🙂 (I was having a rough day yesterday!)
I saw today that a Neuroscience company (Neurotez, Inc)—which focuses on dementia, brain disorders and other neurological research—was awarded permission to use Metreleptin for its “novel disease-modifying therapy for Alzheimer” patients.
http://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20120727005503/en/Neurotez.-Announces-Grant-U.S.-Patent-8227408-%C2%A0around#.U3OmuPldXLo
Earlier, I’d read about a Japanese firm that acquired similar rights to use and market Metreleptin but for lipodystrophy. Clearly, I need to get schooled more about the complexities of Biologics License Applications and related drug-marketing laws. I assumed that a new biological substance (like Metreleptin) was controlled by the primary patent owner yet discovered that the FDA (in my country) decides who will earn the privilege of acquiring the rights for use and marketing of various, SPECIFIC APPLICATIONS for new drugs—as part of the Public Health Service Act.
My goodness, these “leptin” power plays are becoming so much more complicated than I imagined!
By the way, I also found another example of an ongoing clinical trial studying the responses of weight-reduced people to therapeutic applications of leptin . This study resembles the Leptin clinical trial I cited yesterday (but now with a fresh twist—a T3 supplementation.)
http://www.clinicaltrials.gov/ct2/show/study/NCT00073242
Needless to say I’m now feeling much better about my chances of still being alive when the Leptin application I’m dreaming of finally hits the market. 🙂
I hope you’re enjoying your conference today. I have a feeling that some in the mental health field are jumping on this wild leptin ride by now too!