About Covidien
Company History
- In the year 2000, the founders of Covidien (formerly BÂRRX Medical,
Inc.) developed an endoscopic device called the HALO360 System
for treating Barrett's esophagus that addresses the limitations of existing
technologies
- In 2001, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration cleared the
HALO360 System for use in the ablation of bleeding and non
bleeding sites in the gastrointestinal tract including Barrett's
esophagus
- Before and after the commercial launch of the first generation of the
HALO360 System in January 2005, the Covidien Medical team has
conducted multi-center clinical trials to demonstrate the safety and
efficacy of the system9
- Trials have been completed for all types of Barrett's tissue:
intestinal metaplasia, low-grade dysplasia, and high-grade
dysplasia
- March 20, 2006 marked the start of a new landmark human study
comparing the effectiveness of the HALO Technology against a
current standard of care for Barrett's esophagus, which includes
regular endoscopic biopsy surveillance and appropriate medical
management of associated acid reflux disease (also called
GERD)
- On April 21, 2006, the HALO90System (focal ablation device),
was cleared by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration for use in the
ablation of bleeding and non bleeding sites in the gastrointestinal tract,
including Barrett's esophagus
- The HALO90 System compliments the existing
HALO360 System and uses similar technology
- The system is available world-wide
- At the 2007 Digestive Disease Week conference, the current clinical
data was presented demonstrating that 98.4% of participants were
Barrett's-free after one to two treatment sessions using the
HALO90 and HALO360 Systems (at 30 month follow
up)
- Covidien's continued commitment to product improvement and
innovation is illustrated by the FDA clearance of the
HALO360+Ablation Catheter on July 2007
- The HALO360+ catheter is an addition to the
HALO360 System and incorporates the same technology as
the standard HALO360 catheter
- The catheter is available world-wide
References