Amid obesity, Israeli startup develops Endozip device to stitch up stomach bulge

In 2016 more than 650 million adults worldwide were classified as obese with a body mass index (BMI) of 30 or higher, according to the World Health Organization, and a 2017 study found that in Israel as well, one in six women and one in four men were obese.

The existing surgical solutions to reduce stomach volume and curb obesity — including gastric bypass and sleeve gastrectomy, in which a large portion of the stomach is removed — are available for people with a BMI of 40 of higher (or 35 with additional diseases), but are generally inadvisable or not covered by insurance for class one (BMI of 30-35) or class two (BMI of 35-40) obesity patients. In addition, bariatric surgery, as these procedures are called, can be risky and irreversible while offering only temporary improvements.

An Israeli company, Nitinotes, is developing a solution to provide these two groups of patients with a minimally invasive and fully automated gastrointestinal suturing system, CEO Raz Bar-On told The Times of Israel in a phone interview.

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