Contact: Megan Fink
843.792.5172
finkm@musc.edu
July 27, 2007
Charleston -- Patients joining a new weight loss study at the Medical University of South Carolinaís (MUSC) Weight Management Center will get more than pills. They will also receive a comprehensive lifestyle change program offered in small groups to help them make diet and exercise changes they can take with them once the study has ended.
"We will be studying the medicines within a context that should maximize a patientís success," said Patrick OíNeil, Ph.D., director of the Weight Management Center in the Institute of Psychiatry. "Obesity is a lifelong challenge. We hope to give people tools they can use for a lifetime." All participants will receive the study medication Contrave or an inactive placebo and a structured behavior modification weight loss program. MUSC is one of nine sites in the nation taking part in this trial.
Generally healthy people, ages 18-65, are needed for the 56-week-long study. Participants must have a body mass index between 30 and 45 (to learn your body mass index, go to http://www.nhlbisupport.com/bmi). People at somewhat lower weights with cholesterol or triglyceride problems or hypertension may qualify in some cases. They cannot be smokers or have serious diseases.
Participants must be willing to attend weekly meetings for 16 weeks, then meetings every other week for 12 weeks. For the remainder of the study, participants will only meet once a month. They also are asked to keep a log of everything they eat. In addition, initial and periodic blood tests and other health screenings aid in risk assessment and treatment.
About MUSC
Founded in 1824 in Charleston, The Medical University of South Carolina is the oldest medical school in the South. Today, MUSC continues the tradition of excellence in education, research, and patient care. MUSC educates and trains more than 3,000 students and residents, and has nearly 10,000 employees, including 1,300 faculty members. As the largest non-federal employer in Charleston, the university and its affiliates have collective annual budgets in excess of $1.3 billion. MUSC operates a 600-bed medical center, which includes a nationally recognized Children's Hospital and a leading Institute of Psychiatry. For more information on academic information or clinical services, visit www.musc.edu or www.muschealth.com.
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