Embattled EndoBarrier® developer GI Dynamics, Inc. is pointing us at a poster presentation that suggests its system may deliver a result akin to that of gastric bypass surgery.
Background
EndoBarrier, in case you need reminding, is that implantable sleeve, designed to treat type 2 diabetes and obesity. In recent months the company has suffered a number of setbacks starting with a temporary suspension of European shipments, a suspension of its U.S. study because of adverse incidents and a consequent drop in share price. Any hint of silver lining must therefore be embraced, even if it’s just one poster.
The poster in question is showing at the American Gastroenterological Association’s annual Digestive Disease Week (DDW) meeting in Washington, D.C. It’s titled, ‘Improvement in Glucose Metabolism after Bariatric Surgery: Comparison of Laparoscopic Roux-en-Y Gastric Bypass and Duodenojejunal Bypass,’ and comes from Dr. Jürgen Stein, Department of Gastroenterology and Clinical Nutrition, Hospital Sachsenhausen, Frankfurt, Germany.
The poster’s contents show improvement in glucose metabolism following treatment with EndoBarrier® Therapy (duodenal-jejunal bypass liner or DJBL), results that come “significantly close” to improvement achieved with gastric bypass surgery (RYGB) in obese patients with type 2 diabetes.
These data show that EndoBarrier, specifically designed to mimic the duodenal-jejunal exclusion created by gastric bypass surgery, has a significant impact on glucose homeostasis at one, three and nine months of therapy, which can reduce the reliance patients may have on diabetes medications.
This is the first study comparing the improvement in glucose metabolism following gastric bypass surgery, considered the ‘gold standard’ of metabolic surgery, to the less invasive endoscopic placement of the EndoBarrier device.
Company comments
“It is interesting to observe how EndoBarrier treatment compares to bariatric surgery when administered at the same clinical center in the hands of independent researchers,” said David Maggs, M.D., chief medical officer of GI Dynamics. “This is another important milestone that manifests the potential for device intervention while avoiding the alteration of anatomy by surgery.”
Source: Business Wire
published: May 22, 2015 in: Clinical Studies/Trials, Congresses and Meetings, Gastroenterology