BiBBInstruments’ technology gets nod in medical journal
The interest in Swedish medtech BiBBInstruments’ biopsy instrument EndoDrill is increasing as doctors evaluate it in the clinic, being called a “game-changer” within endoscopic ultrasound. Recently, the technology was also featured in a South American medical journal Revista de Gastroenterología del Perú, penned by leading specialist in the field, Dr Antonio Mendoza Ladd.
Today’s endoscopic ultrasound (EUS) tissue sampling procedures, aimed at identifying and diagnosing tumours in difficult-to-reach areas, can be plagued by tissue fragmentation and blood contamination. This leads to unsatisfactory detection rates, increased healthcare costs and could contribute to late diagnoses leading to delayed start of treatment for the affected patients.
BiBBInstruments (BiBB), founded with the mission to advance cancer diagnostics and address these shortcomings, is behind the world’s first electric-driven endoscopic core biopsy instrument, EndoDrill. The device, tailored for EUS-guided tissue sampling, has received FDA 510(k) clearance in the US and CE marking in Europe, and it is currently undergoing clinical evaluations in both the US and Scandinavia. Read more here.
Successful Clinical Evaluations
Earlier this year, BiBBInstruments announced the successful completion of the first clinical procedures with one of three EndoDrill variants, EndoDrill GI, developed for the gastrointestinal (GI) tract in the US at UC Davis Health. Dr Antonio Mendoza Ladd, who led the evaluations, praised the device as a “game changer” for its ability to obtain more accurate cancer diagnoses, thereby improving patient treatment outcomes.
Clinical evaluation started in Scandinavia during the spring. BiBB’s tour has taken the team to Haukeland University Hospital in Bergen, Norway, and to Swedish university hospitals in Stockholm (Karolinska), Örebro and Linköping. The instrument has been rigorously tested in varied and challenging GI tumours involving, e.g,. the pancreas, lymph nodes, subepithelial lesions (SEL) and the gastric wall. EndoDrill GI has provided a consistent picture of a user-friendly biopsy instrument that safely obtains high quality core tissue biopsies.
In a recent comment to BioStock, BiBB’s CEO Fredrik Lindblad expressed strong confidence in EndoDrill’s commercial potential following the encouraging clinical results.
– I have to say that the recent patient cases fortify our confidence in EndoDrill technology. It has been a great experience to follow physicians and staff in the endoscopy room together with our founder Dr Charles Walther. Personally, it has been rewarding to stand close to physicians who are using EndoDrill GI for the first time and to hear positive exclamations such as “game changer” when they acquire unusually large biopsy samples, says Lindblad.
The evaluations will continue at the aforementioned hospitals as well as additional centres interested in testing BiBB’s device.
Editorial Recognition speaks to EndoDrill’s potential
In a notable editorial titled Echoendoscopy: past, present and future of a trip to inner space, published in the South American medical journal Revista de Gastroenterología del Perú, Dr Mendoza Ladd highlights the transformative impact of endoscopic ultrasound over recent decades. The article underscores EndoDrill’s potential to address the common issue of insufficient tissue samples in pathology, positioning it as a significant advancement in EUS technology: “without enough tissue, there is no clear diagnosis: tissue is the issue.”
– It is encouraging that EndoDrill is recognized as a promising new EUS instrument in an editorial that describes the future of endoscopic ultrasound. In addition, by an endoscopist who has recently tested the product clinically, says BiBB’s founder and CMO Dr Charles Walther.
Positive trend for BiBB
In recent months, BiBB has had an active flow of positive news, with more and more interest coming from the medical community with regard to EndoDrill. Apart from the successful clinical evaluations, for example, EndoDrill was mentioned as a “New Kid on the Block” at ESGE Days congress in Berlin on April 25–27. Read more about this here.
Moreover, BiBB’s shareholder base continues to strongly believe in the company’s technology – a directed share issue was completed recently, raising SEK 10 million for the company. This will help finance ongoing and future clinical evaluations and prepare for the planned launch of EndoDrill GI later this year,
In response to the positive news flow, the share price has increased 2-fold since news came of the first successful clinical evaluations in the US in February. Read more about recent events in the company here.
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