Study Shows PillCam(R) ESO Reduces Prison Health Care Costs By 90% For Cirrhotic Patients

Main Category: GastroIntestinal / Gastroenterology
Also Included In: Medical Devices / Diagnostics
Article Date: 08 Oct 2008 - 2:00 PDT

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Given Imaging Ltd. (NASDAQ: GIVN) today announced data from a pilot study that demonstrate the Company's PillCam® capsule endoscopy of the esophagus can significantly reduce health care costs in a prison population through on-site evaluation of esophageal varices in cirrhotic patients. Results were presented at Poster Session II (Abstract # P-648) of the Annual Scientific Meeting of the American College of Gastroenterology (ACG) 2008 taking place in Orlando, Florida, October 3 to 8, 2008.

In a pilot study conducted within the Georgia Department of Corrections, the first prison in the United States to receive accreditation by the American Medical Association for its health care delivery services, PillCam ESO was used to evaluate five inmates with cirrhosis for varices, which were identified in two of them. Health care savings were calculated based on the estimated expense for prisoner transfer to a site that performs esophagogastroduodenoscopy (also known as EGD or upper endoscopy) and the standard charges for the EGD procedure compared with expenses for PillCam ESO capsule and remote interpretation of video results.

"Significant cost savings can be achieved when screening for varices within a prison population by bringing the PillCam ESO equipment and the procedure to the patient at the incarceration site where a trained nurse can administer the test and a physician can then remotely interpret results," said Robert Schade, MD, Professor of Medicine, Chief, Gastroenterology, Medical College of Georgia.

In addition, study co-author, Iryna Hepburn, MD, noted, "This screening method, combined with remote interpretation, may provide a useful tool for providing expert interpretation of GI disorders in remote or rural settings, where patients have limited access to specialist care."

"PillCam ESO 2 capsule can deliver an estimated 90 percent savings equal to $4,200 per patient in prison health care costs, when compared to costly patient transport to a prison site that performs EGD and the standard charges for the procedure," said Israel Raz, Chief Marketing Officer, Given Imaging. "Of equal importance, safety of the corrections personnel and general populace is improved by bringing the video capsule to the patient and eliminating the need for inmate transport."

Esophageal varices (enlarged veins) can occur as a complication of cirrhosis and/or fibrosis of the liver. As liver cirrhosis advances, blood is restricted from flowing through the liver, which can cause esophageal veins to enlarge. It's vital to check for the initial appearance of these enlarged veins, or varices, and then to monitor for any increase in size. Roughly one-fourth of these varices eventually start to bleed and 10% to 20% of patients die within six weeks of the bleeding episode. The prevalence of liver disease among prisoners is high and is attributed to the population's high level of engagement in risky behaviors.

About Given Imaging Ltd.

Given Imaging is redefining gastrointestinal diagnosis by developing, producing and marketing innovative, patient-friendly products for detecting gastrointestinal disorders. The company's technology platform is the PillCam(R) Platform, featuring the PillCam video capsule, a disposable, miniature video camera contained in a capsule, which is ingested by the patient, a sensor array, data recorder and RAPID(R) software. Given Imaging markets a number of available capsules: the second-generation PillCam SB 2 video capsule to visualize the entire small intestine which is currently marketed in the United States and in more than 60 other countries; the second-generation PillCam ESO 2 video capsule to visualize the esophagus; the Agile(TM) patency capsule to determine the free passage of the PillCam capsule in the GI tract and the PillCam COLON video capsule to visualize the colon that has been cleared for marketing in the European Union. PillCam COLON has received a CE Mark, but is not cleared for marketing or available for commercial distribution in the USA. More than 850,000 patients worldwide have benefited from the PillCam capsule endoscopy procedure. Given Imaging's headquarters, manufacturing and R&D facilities are located in Yoqneam, Israel. It has operating subsidiary companies in the United States, Germany, France, Japan, Australia and Singapore. Given Imaging's largest shareholders include Elron Electronic Industries (NASDAQ:ELRN) (TELAVIV:ELRN).

Given Imaging Ltd