Apollo Endosurgery

Apollo Endosurgery is a Texas based medical device company which develops and distributes less invasive medical devices for gastrointestinal conditions and surgery. The company develops Orbera, an intragastric balloon for weight loss and Overstitch, which is a medical-surgical suture device for advanced endoscopy.

Orbera is a non-surgically introduced gastric balloon to reduce food intake to assist in weight loss. Orbera is sold globally in over 80 countries and has sold more than 250,000 making it one of the most popular devices of its kind.

An un-inflated balloon is inserted to a patients abdominal cavity which is then inflated with saline according to requirement. The spherical balloon is non-reactive with a soft surface to avoid chances of ulcers. The balloon is filled with sterile saline to a volume of 400cc-700cc. The liquid volume depends on the portion control pre-determined by medical professionals. Orbera serves as an alternative for exercise and dieting or surgical weight loss procedures.

Overstitch is an endoscopic suturing system for a less invasive suturing for soft tissue in the upper and lower gastrointestinal tract. The system enables advanced endoscopic surgery procedure through a flexible endoscope with no break in through the skin. The device is suited for procedures like gastrointestinal fistula closure, endoscopic submucosal dissection (ESD), endoscopic mucosal resections (EMR), and peroral endoscopic myotomy (POEM).

The device attaches with Olympus Dual Channel endoscope for endoluminal suturing and the handle mounted on the endoscope controls the needle driver attached at the other end of the endoscope. The suture is passed through an anchor exchange catheter, and a different catheter is used for atraumatic tissue manipulation. The device uses a strap at the end of the stitch called “PEEK Cinch” to complete a suturing pattern.

Dennis L. McWilliams founded the company in 2006 and is headquartered in Austin, Texas. It is a successor of the Apollo Group, which formed to speed up innovation in flexible endoscopy for diagnosis and treatment of gastrointestinal disorders. The team of well-known gastroenterologist and surgeons from universities like Mayo Clinic, Johns Hopkins, Medical University of South Carolina, Medical Branch of the University of Texas, and the Chinese University of Hong Kong gathered in 1998 to form the Apollo Group.