Thursfields helps local technology firm’s global battle against obesity

Thursfields has provided support for a local technology company’s international launch of a health app in the battle against public obesity.

Thursfields advised Select Research, of Malvern, on various corporate and commercial matters, including a series of equity fundraisings, in the period leading up to launch of the app.

Tax and accountancy advice was provided by Bishop Fleming LLP.

Now Select Research’s new Body Volume Index (BVI) app is attracting lots of attention in the USA as an alternative to what many experts feel is the outdated Body Mass Index (BMI) approach to assessing healthy weight levels.

Gareth Burge, director of Thursfields, said: “Select Research is an excellent local technology company that has great expertise in the health sector, and has been working hard on its new BVI app. Thursfields is so pleased that our own legal expertise has helped Select Research to achieve the launch of this potentially life-changing product.”

Richard Barnes, the founder and chief executive of Select Research, said: “We are hoping the new information BVI provides will allow healthcare professionals to help their patients in ways that weren’t possible before. Because the well-known BMI was invented in 1835, the launch of our BVI in the USA earlier this month has attracted a lot of attention, which has been very welcome.

The initial reaction has been overwhelmingly positive and Select Research is really grateful to Thursfields Solicitors for their support and advice during our research and development period.”

The BVI Pro app has been launched as an ‘indicator’ and can be downloaded for free on the UK App Store for iPad only, with further developments planned.

The BMI scale has long been used to determine what it means to be overweight, but critics have argued it’s too simplistic to accurately reflect health on an individual basis.

The BVI approach considers more specific factors like weight distribution, waist-to-hip ratio, total body fat percentage and abdominal volumes, resulting in more accurate measurements to help weight-loss programmes.

The hashtag #SpeakVolumes on social media is now being used to create a wider conversation about the new BVI measurement.

For further information please contact Gareth Burge, Commercial Director on 01905 677043 or e-mail gburge@thursfields.co.uk