BiBB comments on the growing interest in EndoDrill GI
Intensive work is underway to get EndoDrill GI out to European and US clinics. BiBBInstruments recently participated in the seventh edition of the Nordic EUS Meeting in Copenhagen, where the biopsy instrument aroused great interest. BioStock has spoken to CEO Fredrik Lindblad to learn more.
The Lund-based company BiBBInstruments (BiBB) has developed a series of electrically powered endoscopic core biopsy instruments, EndoDrill, intended for endoscopic ultrasound-guided (EUS/EBUS) tissue sampling. With the instruments, endoscopists can easily take tissue samples with much higher quality than comparable samples taken with today’s manually handled needle instruments. The company wants to facilitate and, in turn, improve the diagnosis of several types of cancer.
EndoDrill GI is designed for sampling in the gastrointestinal tract and has received FDA 510(k) approval in the US and CE marking in Europe. The company focuses on getting the product out to clinics so endoscopists can evaluate the new technology. So far, the company has received very favorable feedback.
A recent evaluation at the Sestre Milosrdnice University Hospital in Zagreb found that the EndoDrill samples were of a quality not usually seen when using today’s biopsy instruments. After previous evaluations, pathologists, i.e., those who analyze the samples, have specifically asked for EndoDrill samples because they are of the highest quality and make a difference.
Building on the interest
Interest in the new instrument seems to continue growing. BiBBInstruments recently participated in the 7th Nordic EUS Meeting, which took place in Copenhagen on 19 – 20 September. Here, EUS endoscopists from Nordic countries and other parts of the world met to discuss the latest findings in the field.
Although endoscopic tissue sampling is a fully integrated branch of today’s healthcare, it is still challenging to master. Therefore, the sector emphasizes exchanging experience and finding new techniques and tools to simplify work. At the Copenhagen meeting, EndoDrill stood out as an exciting innovation in this field.
Multiple Requests for Clinical Evaluations
BiBB founder Dr. Charles Walther and CEO Fredrik Lindblad attended the meeting and conducted several demonstrations for the participants.
– There were exciting discussions with EUS endoscopists about EndoDrill GI, and it feels very encouraging that they spontaneously seem to like the concept of our electric-driven rotary needle biopsy, Dr. Charles Walther says in a comment.
Many were impressed by the new technology, and several hospitals immediately expressed interest in evaluating the product. Thus, the company will soon be able to expand the list of clinical evaluations, including some of Europe’s most influential EUS centers.
CEO comments
BioStock has contacted Fredrik Lindblad to learn more about his views on the great interest and what it means for the company.
To begin with, Fredrik, this is your first time exhibiting a commercial version of EndoDrill GI. What expectations did you have, and how did the event live up to those?
– The exciting thing about this meeting was that the participants were EUS endoscopists, i.e., exactly our customer group. The goal was to introduce EndoDrill GI to new physicians and hopefully get them interested enough in our technology to make them evaluate the product clinically. Our expectations were exceeded, as several new hospitals in and outside Scandinavia wish to start testing EndoDrill GI in the autumn.
What was it that primarily attracted the physicians’ interest?
– The overall need concerns the size and quality of the samples. Today, it is not enough to have a tissue sample that only shows that it is cancer. The demands for accurate diagnoses are constantly growing, and physicians acknowledge that EndoDrill can be the solution to better meet the increased need for information.
What feedback did you get on-site in Copenhagen?
– The doctors appreciated the EndoDrill concept with a motorized rotating needle biopsy. Several attendees started talking about different indications where they need better diagnosis samples. The fact that several physicians immediately wanted to start testing the product clinically is a good acknowledgment that we have developed an attractive biopsy system.
How do you care for the great interest you see in the product?
– We recently hired a product specialist who will eventually be able to help our founder, Dr. Charles Walther, with introductions at new hospitals. Currently, we are addressing interested hospitals one at a time, and this fall we expect to be very busy with new clinical evaluations in both the USA and Europe.
What else is in store for the autumn besides initiating clinical evaluations with those who have expressed interest?
– Other important activities that will shape the fall include the work of moving the production of single-use instruments to a facility in Sweden with high production capacity, as well as ongoing discussions with potential global distribution partners. Over time, the clinical evaluations from the fall should begin to convert into sales. Initially on a smaller scale in-house, and later with one or more sales partners, along with scaled-up production.
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