Medtronic has signed an agreement for the distribution of Dragonfly Endoscopy’s pancreaticobiliary system in the US.
The agreement’s financial terms remain undisclosed.
Dragonfly claims to address clinical limitations in cholangioscopy, a traditional endoscopic method that is said to offer direct visualisation and therapeutic intervention in the pancreatic and bile ducts.
The system facilitates healthcare providers with manoeuvrability, visualisation, alongside therapeutic and diagnostic capabilities.
According to Medtronic, this pancreaticobiliary endoscope employs a fully rotatable and flexible shaft, along with a working channel diameter that is 42% larger compared to the existing standard, in the same compact scope profile.
These advancements enable the usage of durable electrohydraulic lithotripsy (EHL) probes and 40% larger biopsy samples. This might enhance diagnostic accuracy rates and help clear the stones in one session.
Medtronic plans to launch the Dragonfly system across select clinical and academic centres in the country starting this year.
Dragonfly Endoscopy CEO Jeremy Starkweather said: “We are incredibly excited about our collaboration with Medtronic to bring an innovative solution that could improve the outcomes for patients with difficult pancreaticobiliary diseases.
“We look forward to seeing the Dragonfly pancreaticobiliary system reimagine the way cholangiopancreatoscopy procedures are performed.”
In addition to the distribution agreement, Medtronic has sought clearance for an interoperable pump by submitting 510(k) applications to the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA).
This pump, upon the agency’s clearance, would enable system integration with a continuous glucose monitoring (CGM) sensor based on the CGM platform of Abbott.
The rollouts included a 510(k) application for MiniMed 780G as an alternate controller-enabled (ACE) insulin pump and another application for the company’s SmartGuard algorithm as an interoperable automated glycaemic controller (iAGC).
This development follows the companies' collaboration announcement last August to create an integrated system based on the CGM platform.
The FDA recently approved the use of Medtronic’s disposable Simplera Sync sensor with the MiniMed 780G system.
