Mederi Therapeutics launches radiotherapy treatment for bowel incontinence

10 September 2009

Mederi Therapeutics Inc. has announced the release in the US of the Secca system for treatment of bowel incontinence. Secca Therapy is a minimally invasive procedure for a debilitating and embarrassing condition that affects tens of millions of Americans, both young and old.

The therapy delivers radiofrequency (RF) energy to the muscles of the anal canal, which tightens the muscles, producing better bowel control and reducing the symptoms of incontinence.

"This innovative treatment bridges the gap between often unsuccessful conservative measures, such as diet modification and biofeedback, and expensive and disfiguring surgical treatment," said Mederi CEO, Will Rutan. "The effect of bowel incontinence on quality of life is devastating, so the overwhelmingly positive response to the release of the Secca system is not surprising."

Secca therapy is an outpatient procedure that takes approximately 45 minutes and is performed in an endoscopy suite or ambulatory surgery unit, with the patient under general anaesthesia or conscious sedation. Patients go home approximately one to two hours after the procedure and, typically, resume normal activities within several days.

The company says that in clinical trials as many as 8 out of 10 patients had a positive clinical response to Secca therapy and showed significant improvement in quality of life scores. Further, recent clinical studies have shown symptom relief lasting as long as five years.

The dominant cause of bowel incontinence is damage to the pelvic floor during normal childbirth, thus, a significant majority of sufferers are women, 70% of whom are under the age of 65. In the elderly, bowel incontinence is cited as the second leading reason to institutionalize loved ones and over 45 percent of residents in nursing homes suffer from this condition.

Due to the embarrassment associated with bowel incontinence, studies report that fewer than one in five people with this condition have discussed it with their doctors. These factors indicate that bowel incontinence is both a well-guarded and under-reported illness.

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