FDA Panel to Consider Lap Band Expansion

Hey, as long as the fat pay for it themselves, band 'em if they want it.

A U.S. Food and Drug Administration advisory committee convening Friday will consider a request by manufacturers of the Lap Band to allow the popular weight-loss device to be used on those who are less obese.

The request by Allergan, the same company that manufactures Botox, will likely prove to be a controversial one, as some say such an approval could push the band further into the realm of cosmetic elective surgery. And the fact that the chairwoman of the FDA committee considering the request owns stock in Allergan will likely do little to quell this controversy....

"It is disturbing that the person who's heading the review committee has stock in that company," Besser told "Good Morning, America." "Allergan has a lot to benefit if this is approved."

And good luck sticking with the program.

Long-term studies suggest that almost a third of people who undergo the procedure regain the weight they initially lost or have the surgery reversed. Many even risk fatal complications from the procedure, said Besser.

You'll need it.

And the (lap) band played on.