Weight loss devices maker GI Dynamics (ASX:GID) announced new research partnerships with GlaxoSmithKline (NYSE:GSK) and Medtronic (NYSE:MDT), looking for new data on its EndoBarrier intestinal liner.
The partnership with Medtronic will examine how treatment with EndoBarrier affects continuous glucose levels and the research with GlaxoSmithKline will look at hormonal changes as a result of the implant.
Additional details on the partnerships are confidential, according to a press release.
"We are pleased to be collaborating with two of the world’s leading diabetes development companies – Medtronic in the device segment and GSK in the pharmaceutical sector," GI Dynamics founder & chief technology officer Andy Levine said in prepared remarks. "We expect these collaborations will lead to a better understanding of the [mechanism of action] of EndoBarrier and may lead to improvements in the device, as well as potential combinations of drug treatment and EndoBarrier Therapy to optimize patient outcomes."
The EndoBarrier device is a plastic gut-lining sleeve that hangs from the outlet of the stomach and lines the small intestine
GI Dynamics last October landed approval for a U.S. pivotal clinical trial of its EndoBarrier gastrointestinal liner in obese patients with diabetes.
The 13 clinical studies, which enrolled more than 500 patients, showed the device could reduce blood sugar levels and achieve weight loss of approximately 20% over a period of 12 months, according to the press release.
EndoBarrier has CE Mark approval in 2010 and is available in select European countries, including Germany, Austria, the U.K. and the Netherlands, as well as Australia and Chile.
