Olympus Corporation of the Americas announced a new distribution agreement with Norgine B.V. and its subsidiary Arc Medical Design Ltd. by which Olympus Corporation of the Americas becomes the exclusive distributor of ENDOCUFF VISION® in the U.S. and Canada.

The ENDOCUFF VISION® will be showcased at the adjoining Arc and Olympus booths at the Digestive Disease Week (DDW) conference in San Diego, Calif. May 22-26, 2016.

ENDOCUFF VISION® is a 510(k) cleared, second generation, single-use device designed to improve visualization for certain endoscopic procedures such as colonoscopies. Placed on the distal tip of a colonoscope, its unique hinged arms fall flat against the shaft of the scope so that forward advancement is not hindered.

During withdrawal, the arms flare out to stabilize the tip, reduce slippage and gently stretch the mucosal surface to allow the physician thorough inspection of the anatomy during the search for polyps.

"We are pleased to strengthen our commercial strategy through this relationship with Arc Medical," said Christos Monovoukas, VP, Business Development and Strategy at Olympus America Inc. "This agreement represents a significant market opportunity for the Olympus endoscopy business and an important advantage for our customers and their patients."

Colonoscopy has long been considered the gold standard for detecting colon cancer, and Olympus is the leading provider of colonoscope technology to caregivers. Even the gold standard has room for improvement, however, in terms of interval cancers that arise because of adenomas (pre-cancerous polyps) that are missed by the physician and can become malignant (colorectal cancer).

For each 1% increase in adenoma detection rate (ADR) there is a 3% reduction in the risk of interval cancer.i Colorectal cancer (CRC) is the second most common cause of cancer-related mortality.ii

Tas Javed, Managing Director at Arc Medical said: "This new distribution agreement will ensure the successful international exposure of the ENDOCUFF VISION® in the U.S. and Canada. ENDOCUFF VISION®, designed with input from physicians, improves tip control and visualisation during colonoscopy."

Currently ENDOCUFF VISION® is sold in Europe and Australia and New Zealand through Norgine’s infrastructure.

Todd Usen, President of Olympus Medical Systems Group at Olympus Corporation of the Americas, added: "This agreement represents a combination of the best optical technology with the best new mechanical advantage to improve the physician’s view of the anatomy that we know of.

"When a company leads in the field of medical technology as Olympus does for endoscopy, it is incumbent on that company to continue to raise the bar higher. It’s this sense of responsibility that has us so excited about the potential offered by the ENDOCUFF VISION®."