Could These Devices Someday Replace Drugs? EndoBarrier

GI Dynamics’s EndoBarrier is intended to treat obese patients with type II diabetes who no longer see results from lifestyle changes and oral diabetes medications. The device, which consists of a flexible tube placed in the intestine through the mouth, blocks food from making contact with the intestinal wall, thereby preventing it from interacting with enzymes and hormones involved in insulin sensitivity, glucose metabolism, satiety, and food intake. The device, which is not yet available in the United States, suffered a setback earlier this year when FDA halted a U.S. pivotal trial because of a higher-than-anticipated occurrence of a bacterial infection of the liver associated with the EndoBarrier implant.