A study, published in the Indian Journal of Gastroenterology, examined the safety and efficacy of Mederi Therapeutics' Stretta Therapy in treating gastroesophageal reflux disease.
Rakesh Kalapala, MD, and Nageshwar Reddy, MD, of Hyderabad, India-based Asian Institute of Gastroenterology conducted a randomized controlled trial comparing Stretta to proton pump inhibitor treatments.
Researchers collected three-month outcomes.
Here's what they found:
1. Stretta improved GERD symptoms in 80 percent of patients compared to PPIs.
2. Stretta also improved quality of life in 80 percent of patients compared to 40 percent of the PPI group.
3. Eighty percent of patients were satisfied with their Stretta treatment compared to 30 percent of patients on PPIs.
4. After three months, 60 percent of Stretta patients no longer used PPIs. There was no decrease in the control group.
In additional news, Capital BlueCross announced it would cover Stretta therapy for medically necessary treatments.