BÂRRX Medical, Inc. develops endoscopic treatment solutions for Barrett's esophagus and other chronic gastroenterological diseases. Barrett's is a precancerous condition of the lining of the esophagus (swallowing tube) caused by gastroesophageal reflux disease, or GERD. The company's HALOFLEX, HALO360 and HALO90 ablation systems are designed to provide a uniform and controlled ablation effect, in order to remove diseased tissue and allow re-growth of normal cells.
A multi-center randomized, sham-controlled study, published in the New England Journal of Medicine in 2009, studied HALO radiofrequency ablation applied in the highest risk Barrett's population (those having dysplasia). The ablation group had a high rate of complete eradication of dysplasia and intestinal metaplasia and a significantly decreased rate of disease progression and cancer development, as compared to the control group. In another study (AIM-II) published in Gastrointestinal Endoscopy, 98.4% of treated patients were Barrett's-free after two and a half years of follow-up.
The HALO systems are cleared by the FDA for use in the United States and each have CE Mark for use in Europe. More than 58,000 procedures have been performed in over 400 hospitals around the world. Based in Sunnyvale, Calif., BÂRRX Medical, Inc. was founded in 2000 and is privately-held.