Weight loss: GI Dynamics' EndoBarrier keeps working even after removal - Mass Device

October 4, 2011 by MassDevice staff

Obesity and diabetes device maker GI Dynamics (ASX:GID) released data today from two studies that showing sustained benefits of glycemic control and weight loss even after the removal of its EndoBarrier gastrointestinal liner.

Data released on follow-up analyses of a 12-month obesity trial showed that patients who had completed the EndoBarrier treatment kept off as much as 75 percent of the weight they lost during the treatment period.

GI Dynamics' device is a plastic sleeve inserted endoscopically into the small intestine, where it slows the uptake of nutrients from food to induce weight loss and help control the symptoms of diabetes.

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"The results suggest that when the EndoBarrier is combined with a formal post-removal lifestyle support program, patients may maintain the benefits of treatment long after the device is removed," said Alex Escalona, doctor of digestive surgery, Pontifica Universidad Catolica de Chile in prepared remarks.

The Lexington, Mass.-based company also released follow-up data of a 12-month diabetes trial that found that even six months after the removal of the EndoBarrier, patients only saw slightly elevated glucose levels, from 6.5 percent to 6.6 percent on average.

"These results continue to demonstrate the clinical benefits of the EndoBarrier treatment for Type II diabetes, even after removal of the device," study investigator Guilherme Lopes of the University of Sao Paolo, Brazil, said in a prepared statement.

Last month, GI Dynamics announced the launch of its gastrointestinal liner in Austria and the establishment of two "Centers of Excellence" to implant the device.

The EndoBarrier is currently available in Chile, Europe and more recently in Australia. GI Dynamics received an investigational device exemption approval to commence a pilot trial in the U.S.

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