Medigus Announces Three-Year Follow Up Study Presented at Digestive Disease Week 2014 Showing Treatment with MUSE(TM) System Keeps Patients Off Daily PPI Therapy

-Additional Study Underscore's MUSE's Potential Role in Treating Achalasia-


OMER, Israel, May 7, 2014 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Medigus Ltd. (TASE: MDGS), a medical device company developing minimally-invasive, endosurgical tools and procedures, announced today that two presentations involving the use of  its MUSE(TM)  System (formerly the SRS(TM) System) were presented at the prominent Digestive Disease® Week (DDW) annual meeting, the largest international gathering of physicians, researchers and academics in the fields of gastroenterology, hepatology, endoscopy and gastrointestinal surgery, which took place this week in Chicago IL.

Medigus has merged recent breakthroughs in visualization, ultrasound and surgical stapling capabilities into one platform, the MUSE(TM) System, to enable safe, incisionless procedures within the GI tract. The MUSE(TM) procedure is intuitive and can be performed by a single surgeon or endoscopist in the endoscopy suite. The device performs a surgical anterior fundoplication with standard surgical staples in a less invasive way, helping enhance patient care.

In the first study, William Kessler, M.D., FACG, Associate Professor, IU Health, reported on a three year follow-up of patients treated with the MUSE(TM) System.  Results showed that the MUSE(TM) System proved safe and effective for patients with PPI-responsive, moderate-to-severe GERD.  In addition, it showed that the majority of patients (74%) remained off daily PPI at three years post-procedure and those who continued to take PPIs post-procedure reported a decrease in dosage over the three-year period.

"For a growing number of GERD patients who are PPI-dependent, traditional invasive surgery is often considered," said William Kessler, M.D., FACG, Associate Professor, IU Health. "The results of our longer-term study showed that the incisionless MUSE(TM) System is relatively effective in eliminating or decreasing PPI use among most GERD patients via this new minimally-invasive procedure."

In the second study, Rosamaria Bozzi M.D., Unit of Surgery and Surgical Endoscopy, Azienda Ospedaliera dei Colli, Italy, and team tested the feasibility of combining a transoral fundoplication using the MUSE(TM) system with submucosal myothomy, as a treatment for achalasia. Results showed that it is possible to successfully combine the two procedures to achieve an incisionless treatment, compared to the standard laparoscopic surgery for achalasia.

"The data presented at DDW 2014 underscore the MUSE(TM) System's safety and ability to provide improved and long-term outcomes for the estimated 2.4 million American adults with severe or refractory GERD," said Chris Rowland, CEO, Medigus. "These results establish a clear role for the MUSE(TM) System in endoluminal GERD therapy as a non-invasive system that enhances patient care and provides long-term results."

Medigus Ltd. did not provide financial support for the above scientific sessions and did not influence the content in any way. However, research presented within these scientific sessions may have been supported by Medigus Ltd.

About DDW

Digestive Disease Week® (DDW®) is the largest international gathering of physicians, researchers and academics in the fields of gastroenterology, hepatology, endoscopy and gastrointestinal surgery. Jointly sponsored by the American Association for the Study of Liver Diseases (AASLD), the American Gastroenterological Association (AGA) Institute, the American Society for Gastrointestinal Endoscopy (ASGE) and the Society for Surgery of the Alimentary Tract (SSAT), DDW takes place May 3 - 6, 2014, at McCormick Place, Chicago, Illinois. The meeting showcases more than 5,000 abstracts and hundreds of lectures on the latest advances in GI research, medicine and technology. More information can be found at www.ddw.org.

About MUSE(TM)

MUSE(TM) is an intuitive endosurgical platform that consists of a single use surgical endostapler, equipped with a proprietary miniature camera, an ultrasonic sight and a range finder.  The single operator system performs an anterior partial fundoplication with standard surgical staples in a less invasive way, compared to other surgical procedures.

About Medigus

Medigus is leading the transition from invasive gastric surgery procedures to less invasive, patient-friendly techniques through the development of minimally invasive endoscopic devices and procedures. The company's revolutionary MUSE(TM) System enables endoscopists and surgeons to treat gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD), a chronic disease with increasing global prevalence, by performing a fundoplication procedure through the mouth.  Unlike current fundoplication procedures, the MUSE(TM) system does not require abdominal incisions, which may result in shorter post-procedure recovery.  The MUSE(TM) System (previously known as SRS(TM) System for transoral fundoplication) has received FDA clearance and CE mark. Medigus is traded on the TASE (Tel Aviv Stock Exchange). To learn more about the company's minimally invasive technology platform, please visit http://www.medigus.com/.

MEDIA CONTACT:
Chantal Beaudry/Martyna Gawrych
Lazar Partners Ltd.
212-867-1762
cbeaudry@lazarpartners.com

mgawrych@lazarpartners.com

INVESTOR RELATIONS:
Miri Segal-Scharia
Hayden/ MS-IR LLC
917-607-8654
msegal@ms-ir.com

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