Exclusive Interview with Li Peng, Director of Beijing Friendship Hospital: Supporting the Research of Domestic Medical Devices and Promoting Innovation in Medical Weight Loss

It is well known that maintaining a healthy weight is important for health. A variety of weight loss methods have been created since lots of people want to be in better shape. Hence, what is a scientific and reliable method for weight loss? Is there a medical weight loss method in China that can be carried out without taking drugs or surgery? Do endoscopic bariatric therapies work? Perhaps we can find the answers to these questions from the "2021 National Academic Conference of Minimally Invasive Endoscopic Weight Loss Procedures" held in the second quarter of 2021.

The 2021 National Academic Conference of Minimally Invasive Endoscopic Weight Loss Procedures is an academic summit sponsored by the National Clinical Research Center for Digestive Diseases, China Quality Association for Pharmaceuticals, and other authoritative institutions. It is aimed to promote the development of endoscopic weight loss technology through in-depth academic exchanges among experts from Grade-3 and Class-A hospitals all over China. Professor Li Peng from Beijing Friendship Hospital Affiliated to Capital Medical University was invited to preside over and participate in the discussion on the Guidelines for Endoscopic Weight Loss Procedures (2021 Edition). In addition, he was separately invited to participate in an in-depth interview on the current domestic innovative endoscopic weight loss technology, the "Gastric Bypass Stent System".

Professor Li is a doctoral advisor and chief physician of the Gastroenterology Department of Beijing Friendship Hospital Affiliated to Capital Medical University, vice director of the Association of Integrative Gastroenterologist of CMDA, secretary general of the Youth Committee of Chinese Society of Gastroenterology, deputy leader of the Endoscope Cleaning and Disinfection Group of Chinese Society of Digestive Endoscopology, and secretary of the Early Gastric Cancer Diagnosis and Treatment Collaborative Group of Chinese Society of Digestive Endoscopology. He is highly proficient in endoscopic diagnosis and treatment of early gastrointestinal cancer and is an authoritative expert in the field of endoscopic weight loss treatment in China. At present, clinical trials of the "Gastric Bypass Stent System" have been initiated at the Beijing Friendship Hospital Affiliated to Capital Medical University.

Now, let's see what Professor Li thinks of the application and market prospects of the "Gastric Bypass Stent System":

Moderator: Hello, Director Li, it is known that clinical trials of the "Gastric Bypass Stent System" have been initiated at Beijing Friendship Hospital Affiliated to Capital Medical University. What is its efficacy in the current patient cohort? What was your experience when conducting the clinical study?

Director Li: My feeling is that the implantation of the "Gastric Bypass Stent System" is not particularly difficult for physicians. The device is simple to operate and has received positive feedback from the patients.

At first, we were worried about whether the patients would feel uncomfortable or painful after stent implantation, so we provided pain relief pumps for the patients. However, we later found that the patients experienced no abdominal pain. In addition, we were worried about the displacement of the stent, but we subsequently confirmed that there was no such problem after extensive observation.

The weight loss effect was also satisfactory for the patients. A patient who was implanted with the stent recently even did not want to remove the stent because of its excellent effect. The stent system is usually implanted into the patient for 3 months. As long as the patient's lifestyle is subsequently improved, there should be no significant problem in his/her weight control, and the stent would be removed. The patient mentioned above did not want to remove the stent because he thought the weight loss effect was excellent and wanted to keep it for a longer time. However, he had to have it removed at the end according to the regulations.

Moderator: Okay, thank you for sharing. As an expert leading the research in the hospital, how well do you think physicians will accept this technique from a professional perspective?

Director Li: In fact, I think the technique will be well accepted by physicians as well as patients.

So far, several patients have been implanted with the stent in our hospital. From my own experience, it is very easy to implant the "Gastric Bypass Stent System". Physicians do not need to undergo special training. Those who can perform endoscopic examination and treatment and have the related equipment can implant the stent, which demonstrates that the system is very simple to operate. Patients are more likely to accept it because only 10 or 20 minutes is needed to complete the treatment, with no obvious discomfort and adverse effects.

Moderator: Thank you, Director Li. What do you think of the clinical application prospects of it in the future?

Director Li: I think the market prospect of the "Gastric Bypass Stent System" in the future is very good.

In fact, obesity and overweight are major social and health problems that are becoming increasingly prominent in China. Obesity poses substantial impact on people's health, including cardiovascular and cerebrovascular diseases, joint problems, and high blood sugar. Therefore, minimally invasive weight control method similar to the "Gastric Bypass Stent System" has a very large applicable population and is greatly needed in China. The endoscopic weight loss method will be particularly popular, especially when compared with traditional weight loss surgeries, because it causes less trauma and has a good effect. Therefore, I think it has particularly good market prospects.

Moderator: Do you think this technique can be applied to other fields in the future? Is there a possibility for broader application?

Director Li: More clinical studies are needed to explore the application of this technology in other fields.

In addition to weight control and improvement of blood glucose and other parameters of the patients, studies of its efficacy in other diseases, such as non-alcoholic fatty liver should also be conducted. The scope of its study is very broad as it not only involves gastroenterology but also other relevant disciplines.

Moderator: I see, thank you Director Li. The last question, as a chief physician of the Gastroenterology Department of Beijing Friendship Hospital, will you continue to promote related researches on the "Gastric Bypass Stent System" among the medical enterprises, universities and scientific research institutions?

Director Li: Yes, definitely.

I will promote related researches for the following reasons. First, the technique is in clinical need and can benefit patients. Second, it is a domestic medical device. In fact, the development of domestic medical devices has been a very important task in recent years. Many of our technologies and devices are imported from foreign countries. This is especially apparent in the field of medical treatment. Therefore, it is essential that we develop our own technologies and devices to benefit Chinese patients rather than importing them. As a Chinese clinician, I am duty-bound to promote our domestic medical devices.

Conclusion: Through the interview with Director Li, we know that the "Gastric Bypass Stent System" has been successfully implanted in the first subject of the clinical trial at the Beijing Friendship Hospital Affiliated to the Capital Medical University. At present, under the leadership of Director Li, the expert team has completed implantation for many patients and received positive patient feedback on the significant weight loss effect of the device.

The "Gastric Bypass Stent System" is an innovative technology expected to fill the gap in the field of endoscopic weight loss treatment. If this technique can be popularized in China, it will be of great significance to the treatment of obesity and metabolic diseases in China. The clinical application and efficacy of this new product certainly deserve our continuous attention.

About Beijing Friendship Hospital Affiliated to Capital Medical University

Beijing Friendship Hospital Affiliated to Capital Medical University formerly named Beijing Soviet Red Cross Hospital, was founded in 1952. It is the first large-scale general hospital established by the Communist Party and the government after the founding of the People's Republic of China. In the early stage of its establishment, Mao Zedong, Zhou Enlai, Liu Shaoqi, Zhu De and other revolutionaries of the older generation personally wrote inscriptions for the hospital.

Currently, Beijing Friendship Hospital has developed into a Grade-3 and Class-A general hospital in Beijing which integrates medical treatment, teaching, scientific research, disease prevention, and health care. It is the second clinical medical institute of Capital Medical University. The hospital consists of two branches, i.e. Xicheng District Branch and Tongzhou District Branch. Xicheng District Branch is in the central district of Beijing, and TongZhou District Branch is in the sub-center of the city. The hospital has 54 clinical departments and specializes in the diagnosis and treatment of digestive and urinary diseases, liver and kidney transplantation, intrarenal blood purification, as well as diagnosis and treatment of tropical diseases and parasitic infection. In addition, the hospital integrates traditional Chinese medicine and Western medicine. Besides, the hospital has been approved as a National Clinical Research Center for Gastrointestinal Diseases in October 2014 and led the establishment of the Collaborative Development Center of Gastroenterology in the Beijing Hospital Management Center in 2018.

About Tongee

Founded in 2016, Tongee is a national innovative enterprise dedicated to the research and development of new approaches for the treatment of metabolic diseases such as obesity, type 2 diabetes, and non-alcoholic fatty liver. We are currently committed to the research and development and the clinical research of the "Gastric Bypass Stent System", an innovative minimally invasive technology developed by Tongee for the treatment of metabolic diseases.