LEXINGTON, Mass. and BERKSHIRE, England, June 11, 2012 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Diabetes affects 3.7 million people in the United Kingdom (U.K.) and another 7 million people are currently at risk for developing the disease.1 In addition, a report recently published by the National Audit Office (NAO) found that the number of diabetes sufferers in the U.K. is likely to increase by 23 percent by the end of the decade. To combat these discouraging statistics, several centres across the U.K. have been at the forefront of a treatment revolution called EndoBarrier® Therapy. EndoBarrier Therapy is an innovative, new treatment to help type 2 diabetes patients control their blood sugar levels and lose weight at the same time. To date, EndoBarrier Therapy has been used to treat more than 100 patients in the U.K., without relying on surgery or medication to achieve its effect.
See video from GI Dynamics at: http://inr.synapticdigital.com/type2diabetes/endobarrier
During Diabetes Week 2012, GI Dynamics, Inc., and its distribution partner, Elemental Healthcare, encourage people living with type 2 diabetes or pre-diabetes to pay careful attention to their health and consult their healthcare professional if their current treatment regimen is not sufficiently managing their blood sugar and other treatment goals. Good blood sugar control is vital to managing type 2 diabetes, preventing diabetes-related complications and preventing other chronic, life-threatening conditions such as high blood pressure and cardiovascular disease.
"Whether pre-diabetic, newly-diagnosed or a person who has been managing their diabetes for many years, it's imperative that people living with diabetes achieve and maintain good glycemic control to feel well and stay healthy," said Carel le Roux, M.D., consultant endocrinologist, Imperial College, London. "There are many patients who are unsuccessful at managing their diabetes for a variety of reasons: it is not the right medicine for the patient, they experience weight gain, or their medicine has diminished efficacy over time. Physicians and their patients need new treatment alternatives to be successful and healthy."
EndoBarrier Therapy is available at select treatment centres in the U.K., including the National Obesity Surgery Centre (various locations), Streamline Surgical (Harrow, England), Southern Obesity Solutions (Southampton, England), St. Anthony's Weight Loss Surgery Centre (Surrey, England) and Imperial College/St. Mary's Hospital (London).
"I tried many schemes to lose weight and many medications to improve my diabetes before I had EndoBarrier implanted last year," said Terry Davis, Southampton, England. "Since then, my health has improved tremendously and my quality of life is much better. I no longer need as many medications and my diabetes is under control, which was very much needed. EndoBarrier also helped me lose weight and regain energy. I want to encourage other patients to talk with their doctors right away if they are struggling to control their diabetes or weight. Maintaining good health is the key to preventing long-term illnesses and there are new treatments, like EndoBarrier Therapy, that may help them, too."
Clinical studies of EndoBarrier Therapy have shown that more than 80 percent of patients are able to reach their target blood sugar levels (HbA1c ≤ 7) and lose an average of 20 percent of their total body weight in one year,2,3,4 which may lead to a reduction in diabetes-related complications. Research indicates that approximately 9 billion pounds is spent each year on treating diabetes and its complications in the U.K., or approximately 10 percent of the National Health Service's (NHS) budget.5
For more information about EndoBarrier Therapy, please visit www.endobarrier.com, or call 0845 505 1293 to be connected with a treatment centre near you.
About EndoBarrier
EndoBarrier Therapy is a breakthrough treatment for type 2 diabetes and/or obesity that has been clinically demonstrated to lower HbA1c levels, achieve weight loss of more than 20 percent, and improve important metabolic measures including cholesterol, blood pressure and triglycerides in one year.2 It has been studied in 13 clinical trials and has been used in more than 500 patients. The EndoBarrier device is a thin, flexible, tube-shaped liner that forms a physical barrier between food and a portion of the wall of the intestine. EndoBarrier Therapy affects certain gastrointestinal hormones involved in insulin sensitivity, glucose metabolism and satiety, and these changes allow for rapid and sustained improvement of type 2 diabetes and weight loss.6
EndoBarrier received CE Mark approval for Europe in 2010 as well as approval by the Therapeutic Goods Administration in Australia in 2011 for the treatment of type 2 diabetes and/or obesity. EndoBarrier is currently commercially available in select European markets, Chile and Australia. For more information, please visit www.endobarrier.com.
About GI Dynamics
GI Dynamics, Inc. (ASX:GID) is pioneering the development and commercialization of effective, non-surgical treatments targeting the large and growing global patient populations with type 2 diabetes and obesity. The company's flagship product, EndoBarrier®, is a novel, non-surgical device proven to lower blood glucose levels and promote weight loss in diabetic patients and/or obese patients during the implant period. GI Dynamics currently markets EndoBarrier in select regions in Europe, South America and Australia and is planning near-term commercial expansion into additional European countries. EndoBarrier is not approved for sale in the United States and is considered investigational. Founded in 2003, GI Dynamics is headquartered in Lexington, Massachusetts. For more information, please visit www.gidynamics.com.
Forward-Looking Statements
This announcement contains or may contain forward-looking statements that are based on management's beliefs, assumptions and expectations and on information currently available to management. All statements that address operating performance, events or developments that we expect or anticipate will occur in the future are forward-looking statements, including without limitation our expectations with respect to our ability to commercialize our EndoBarrier® including our estimates of potential revenues, costs, profitability and financial performance; our ability to develop and commercialize new products including our ability to obtain reimbursement for our products; our expectations with respect to our clinical trials, including enrolment in or completion of our clinical trials and our associated regulatory submissions and approvals; our expectations with respect to the integrity or capabilities of our intellectual property position. Management believes that these forward-looking statements are reasonable as and when made. You should not place undue reliance on forward-looking statements because they speak only as of the date when made. GI Dynamics does not assume any obligation to publicly update or revise any forward-looking statements, whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise. GI Dynamics may not actually achieve the plans, projections or expectations disclosed in forward-looking statements, and actual results, developments or events could differ materially from those disclosed in the forward-looking statements. Forward-looking statements are subject to a number of risks and uncertainties, described in "Risk Factors" in our Prospectus lodged with the Australian Securities & Investments Commission on 3 August 2011.
1 Diabetes UK. www.diabetes.org.uk
2 Moura, GHD, et al, One Year Results of an Endoscopic, Duodenal-Jejunal Exclusion Device for Weight Loss and Control of Type 2 Diabetes. Hospital das Clinicas, University of São Paulo, São Paulo, Brazil. DT&T, February 2012, vol 14, no.2:183-189.
3 Escalona, A., et al, "Post-explant follow-up after 12 months implantation of an endoscopic duodenal-jejunal bypass liner." Department of Digestive Surgery." Faculty of Medicine Pontificia Universidad Católica de Chile. Poster presented at The Obesity Society Annual Meeting, Orlando, FL, USA, 2011.
4 Unpublished data, Ricardo Cohen, MD, Hospital Alemão Oswaldo Cruz, São Paulo, Brazil.
5 http://www.diabetes.org.uk/Documents/Reports/Diabetes_in_the_UK_2010.pdf
6 C de Jonge, JW Greve, N Bouvy, et al, EndoBarrier Gastrointestinal Liner treatment rapidly improves diabetes parameters paralleled by increased postprandial GLP-1 and PYY levels in obese type 2 diabetic patients, Department of Surgery, Maastricht University Medical Centre, presented at IFSO 2011, Hamburg, Germany.
06DC12-1432