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EnteroMedics Inc. recently announced that a new program to allow patients battling obesity to access its vBloc Therapy at a reduced cost in exchange for sharing their health data.
"We've repeatedly stated that our goal remains broad coverage and reimbursement for vBloc Therapy," said EnteroMedics President and CEO Dan Gladney, who also chairs the company’s board. "Since receiving FDA approval in 2015, the largest barrier to adoption for patients who want vBloc Therapy has been cost.”
The program, called vBloc Now, will allow qualified patients to access the vBloc Therapy, which includes a procedure to implant the vBloc System and a follow up program dubbed vBloc Achieve. To be eligible, participants must be 18 years and older andhave a BMI of 40 to 45 kg/m2. Candidates with a BMI of 35 to 39.9 kg/m2 may also be eligible, if they also have a related health condition and have struggled to lose weight under supervision within the past five years.
“Discussions with interested payers indicate our final hurdle to insurance coverage is gathering additional patient data in a commercial setting,” said Gladney. “The vBloc Now program is designed to generate commercial vBloc patient outcomes and support positive coverage decisions."
