Torax Medical Inc., a medical device company focused on the minimally invasive treatment of gastro-esophageal reflux disease (GERD), has received CE Mark for its LINX® Anti-Reflux treatment. The company has started commercial launch of the LINX device at select centers in Europe.
“CE Mark approval for the LINX device is the first in a family of products to address clinical conditions benefiting from magnetic sphincter augmentation”
Patients with GERD typically experience burning pain and tissue damage, the result of stomach juices refluxing into the esophagus. This is due to a defective esophageal sphincter muscle between the esophagus and the stomach. These juices, which include acid and bile, are harmful to the lining of the esophagus and are prevented from entering the esophagus when the sphincter muscle is normal. The LINX device is designed to augment an abnormal sphincter and restore its barrier function.
"The LINX device has been implanted in over 150 patients in Europe and the U.S. as part of clinical trials. With CE Mark, our focus is commercial release in Europe with centers which are known thought leaders in the treatment of the disease. We will continue our collaboration with these select centers as they start providing this new treatment option for their patients," said Todd Berg, CEO of Torax Medical.
Luigi Bonavina, Professor of Surgery at University of Milano and Chief of Surgery at Policlinico San Donato University Hospital, who has completed nearly 50 LINX procedures, said, "we are pleased that Torax has received CE Mark and are eager to continue our experience with LINX through a newly formed clinical Registry. The Registry data will be critical as we expand this needed treatment option for GERD patients."
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