OMER, Israel, Oct. 19, 2015 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — Medigus Ltd. (NASDAQ:MDGS) (TASE:MDGS), a medical device company developing minimally invasive endosurgical tools and a leader in direct visualization technology, today announced that Dr. Ali Lankarani, Board member of the Advanced Therapeutic Endoscopy Center (ATEC) at the Borland-Groover Clinic in Jacksonville, FL, will be presenting on the MUSE™ system during the American College of Gastroenterology’s Annual Scientific Meeting and Postgraduate Course, being held October 16-21, 2015 in Honolulu. The poster, Endoscopic Antireflux Therapies: Are We Near Closing the Treatment Gap in GERD, will be presented on Tuesday October 20th, from 11:00 AM to 12:00 PM (P1648).
“GERD is a common disorder with widespread symptoms that impact millions of Americans each year,” said Dr. Lankarani. “Until the availability of MUSE, there has been a lack of minimally-invasive procedures to provide long-term relief from troublesome reflux symptoms, such as heartburn, chest pains, asthma or coughing, which are not controlled through the use of Proton Pump Inhibitors.”
The MUSE system is an innovative endoscopic device that allows a single physician to perform fundoplasty for the treatment of GERD. According to earlier study results, after five years following treatment with MUSE, more than 90% of participants maintained their normalized quality of life measures and approximately 77% had stopped taking daily medications for treatment of their GERD.i
Proton Pump Inhibitors (PPIs) are acid-reducing medications that may provide symptom relief but do not address the root cause of GERD. Alternatively, fundoplasty is the surgical procedure intended to treat GERD at its source by attaching the lower esophageal sphincter to the upper part of the stomach (fundus). Fundoplasty has traditionally been performed surgically or laparoscopically, leaving a treatment gap between drug therapy and invasive surgery for the treatment of GERD.
“In my experience, MUSE can help address the unmet need between drug therapy and invasive surgeries for long-term GERD relief and has the potential to play a key role in closing the treatment gap for GERD patients by offering physicians a technically easy and safe platform to perform fundoplasty,” added Dr. Lankarani.
The MUSE™ System Poster Presentation at ACG
Poster Session # P1648 – “Endoscopic Antireflux Therapies: Are we Near Closing the Treatment Gap in GERD”, Lankarani, Ali; Nieto, José
Tuesday, October 20, 2015 in Exhibit Halls I and II
- 9:30 AM – 3:00 PM – Posters can be viewed
- 11:00 AM - 12:00 PM – Authors will present
About GERD
Gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD) occurs when the lower esophageal sphincter spontaneously opens or does not properly close after use, thereby allowing for stomach contents to rise into the esophagus, causing heartburn, irritation and potentially other discomforts. It affects approximately 81 million Americans each year, 8.6 million of whom experience severe symptoms.ii While some patients can attain symptom relief through the use of proton pump inhibiters, or PPIs, (acid reducing medications), there is a growing concern around the prolonged chronic use of PPIs, including increased risk of bone fracture, and interference with the adsorption of essential vitamins and minerals.iii A persistent state of untreatable GERD could potentially lead to Barrett’s esophagus, a precancerous state which can lead to esophageal cancer. Patients who suffer from daily GERD are seven times more likely to develop esophageal cancer.ii
About MUSE
The MUSE system is a leading technology in Natural Orifice Endoscopic Surgery procedures. The single operator system performs anterior partial fundoplication with standard surgical staples in a less invasive way, compared to other surgical procedures. Its intuitive endosurgical platform consists of a single use flexible surgical endostapler, equipped with a proprietary miniature camera, an ultrasonic sight and a range finder. The endostapler, which resembles an endoscope, is designed to be operated by a single user, includes a handle with controls, an 80cm flexible shaft, a 5cm rigid section holding a cartridge with 5 standard 4.8mm titanium surgical staples, a ratchet controlled one-way articulating section, and a distal tip. The MUSE system is FDA cleared and CE marked, and has also has obtained the necessary licenses to market the product in Canada and Israel.
About Medigus
Medigus is a medical device company specializing in developing minimally invasive endosurgical tools and highly innovative imaging solutions. Medigus is a pioneer developer of a unique proprietary endoscopic device, the MUSE™ system, to treat gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD), one of the most common chronic diseases in the western world. As an expert in micro-endoscopic devices, Medigus has developed a range of micro CMOS (complementary metal-oxide semiconductor) and CCD (charge-coupled device) video cameras, including micro ScoutCam™ 1.2, which the company believes is the smallest in the world. These innovative cameras are suitable for both medical and industrial applications. The MUSE system incorporates Medigus’ revolutionary micro ScoutCam technology. Based on its proprietary technologies, Medigus designs and manufactures endoscopy and micro camera systems for partner companies, including major players in the medical and industrial fields. The company is committed to providing integrated solutions to meet all of its customer’s imaging needs. Medigus is traded on the Nasdaq Capital Market and the TASE (Tel-Aviv Stock Exchange). To learn more about the company’s advanced technology, please visit www.medigus.com or www.microscoutcam.com.
Cautionary Statement Regarding Forward-Looking Statements
This press release may contain statements that are ”Forward-Looking Statements,” which are based upon the current estimates, assumptions and expectations of the company’s management and its knowledge of the relevant market. The company has tried, where possible, to identify such information and statements by using words such as “anticipate,” “believe,” “envision,” “estimate,” “expect,” “intend,” “may,” “plan,” “predict,” “project,” “target,” “potential,” “will,” “would,” “could,” “should,” “continue,” “contemplate” and other similar expressions and derivations thereof in connection with any discussion of future events, trends or prospects or future operating or financial performance, although not all forward-looking statements contain these identifying words. By their nature, Forward-Looking Statements involve uncertainties which may cause future results of the company’s activity to differ significantly from the content and implications of such statements. Among the factors which may cause the actual results to differ from the Forward-Looking Statements are changes in the target market and the introduction of competitive products, regulatory, legislative and policy changes, and clinical results. Forward-Looking Statements are pertinent only as of the date on which they are made, and the company undertakes no obligation to update or revise any Forward-Looking Statements, whether as a result of new information, future developments or otherwise. Neither the company nor its shareholders, officers and employees, shall be liable for any action and the results of any action taken by any person based on the information contained herein, including without limitation the purchase or sale of company securities. Nothing in this press release should be deemed to be medical or other advice of any kind.
i Roy-Shapira, A., Bapaye A., Date, S., Pujari, R., & Dorwat, S. (2015). Trans-oral anterior fundoplication: 5-year follow-up of pilot study.Surgical Endoscopy, online February 19, 2015 doi:# 10.1007/s00464-015-4142-9
http://link.springer.com/article/10.1007%2Fs00464-015-4142-9
ii Rubenstein JH & Taylor JB. (2010). Meta-analysis: the association of oesophageal adenocarcinoma with symptoms of gastro-oesophageal reflux. Alimentary Pharmacology & Therapeutics,32(10):1222-7. doi: 10.1111/j.1365-2036.2010.04471.x. Epub 2010 Sep 23.
iii Tetsuhide Ito, MD, PhD & Robert T. Jensen, MD (2010). Association of Long-term Proton Pump Inhibitor Therapy with Bone Fractures and effects on Absorption of Calcium, Vitamin B12, Iron, and Magnesium. Current Gastroenterology Reports, 12(6): 448–457. doi: 10.1007/s11894-010-0141-0
CONTACT: MEDIA CONTACT:
Chantal Beaudry/ Carrie Yamond
Lazar Partners Ltd.
212-867-1762
cbeaudry@lazarpartners.com
cyamond@lazarpartners.com
INVESTOR RELATIONS:
Miri Segal-Scharia
Hayden/ MS-IR LLC
917-607-8654
msegal@ms-ir.com
