New EndoBarrier tech looks set to rival traditional gastric bypass surgery

A number of patients with type 2 diabetes in the UK have undergone a trial with a new technology to support weight loss and improve ongoing diabetes management.

The NHS treatment has seen a drop in patients’ blood pressure, weight loss by over two stone, and a reduction in insulin intake to approximately 30 units per day.

The EndoBarrier is a plastic sleeve, inserted through the patient’s mouth and placed into the first 60cm of the small intestine.

The elimination of invasive surgery, used through traditional weight loss methods such as gastric bypass surgery, will make the EndoBarrier an increasingly attractive option for diabetic patients, and has seen a regulation in blood sugar levels within its patients, according to the new study.

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A temporary procedure, the Endobarrier is removed after a year and has been fitted in over 50 patients. So far, the majority of patients who have had the technology removed have seen a continual increase in fitness, with weight remaining at a healthy level.

“This first NHS EndoBarrier service demonstrates that EndoBarrier therapy is highly effective in patients with obesity and diabetes that has been very hard to treat, with high patient satisfaction levels, and an acceptable safety profile,” explained the research team.

“The EndoBarrier service could be a safe and cost-effective treatment for the NHS – it does not involve surgery and patients do not have to stay in hospital, so reducing the risk of infection.