EndoStim® Therapy Available to GERD Patients in Germany under Innovative Technology Reimbursement Program (NUB)

THE HAGUE, Netherlands and ST. LOUIS, Feb. 19, 2013 /PRNewswire/ -- Nine top hospitals in Germany received approval for reimbursement of EndoStim's LES Stimulation therapy for gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD) or acid reflux. The approval through the innovative technology NUB (Neue Untersuchungs- und Behandlungsmethoden) pathway allows EndoStim therapy to be available to GERD patients across Germany.

The NUB program is managed by InEK (Institute for the Hospital Remuneration System), and offer these hospitals the opportunity to obtain reimbursement for EndoStim® LES stimulation therapy and provide this innovative therapy to their patients suffering from acid reflux. EndoStim® therapy is a minimally-invasive treatment for GERD, designed to use low energy electrical pulses to strengthen a weak or dysfunctional lower esophageal sphincter (LES) muscle – often the underlying cause of GERD.

The nine hospitals that received approval for funding of the EndoStim® system are Heilig Geist Krankenhaus Köln-Longerich, Klinikum Forchheim, Evangelisches Krankenhaus Herne, Klinikum Memmingen, Marienkrankenhaus Kassel, Marienkrankenhaus Soest, Hegau-Bodensee-Klinikum Singen, Stadtkrankenhaus Schwabach, and Universitätsklinikum Hamburg-Eppendorf.

Professor Ernst Eypasch, Chief of Surgery at HGK Köln, says, "The NUB funding makes EndoStim® much more accessible to the large number of patients in Germany who would benefit from this innovative treatment for GERD. LES stimulation can offer patients symptom relief and esophageal acid control without the side effects often seen with other anti-reflux surgeries."

"The NUB pathway will enable EndoStim to broaden availability of its treatment to patients with severe gastroesophageal reflux disease in Germany," stated Bevil Hogg, CEO of EndoStim. "We appreciate the work and enthusiasm of the organizations and individuals involved in making this possible."

About Reflux Disease

Gastroesophageal reflux disease is a chronic disease that affects hundreds of millions of patients worldwide, and often requires lifelong treatment with acid blocker medications. Symptoms generally occur when the weakness or dysfunction in the lower esophageal sphincter muscle allows stomach contents to flow backward into the esophagus causing esophageal inflammation and damage. Acid reflux causes heartburn, regurgitation and can lead to Barrett esophagus and esophageal cancer. Millions of patients continue to suffer from bothersome GERD symptoms despite maximal medical therapy.

About EndoStim

EndoStim is a venture-backed medical device company based in St. Louis, Missouri, and the Hague, the Netherlands, focused on developing innovative active implantable devices. Key investors include Santé Ventures (Austin, TX), Prolog Ventures (St. Louis, MO), Fred Goad (Brentwood, TN), 1998 Co-Investing LLC (St. Louis, MO), Vectis Healthcare & Life Sciences Fund II (St. Louis, MO) and Missouri Technology Corporation/IDEA Funds (Jefferson City, MO), along with many other individual investors.  For more information and news about EndoStim, please visit http://www.endostim.com.

Contact: [email protected]

SOURCE EndoStim