Category: News

Implantica AG (publ.), a medtech company at the forefront of introducing advanced technology into the body, including the unique device RefluxStop® for the treatment of acid reflux, a treatment field with 1 billion sufferers, announces RefluxStop® was a great success at the European Foregut Society (EFS) Annual Meeting in Athens last week.

The EFS Annual Meeting, brought together hundreds of Europe’s most highly esteemed acid reflux surgeons, gastroenterologists, and researchers to exchange cutting-edge knowledge on the treatment of foregut diseases. Enthusiasm about RefluxStop® was palpable throughout the Congress as attendees learned about the excellent new results of RefluxStop, addressing the root cause of GERD. 

The RefluxStop Symposium, “RefluxStop for GERD: Excellent long-term outcomes” drew a full house of around 100 doctors to hear about the device’s rapidly evolving excellent long-term and real-world outcomes data. The distinguished panel of RefluxStop experts included: Prof. Sebastian Schoppmann, Dr. med. Yves Borbély, Dr. med. Moustafa Elshafei and Dr. med. Thorsten Lehmann. They provided an in-depth perspective on RefluxStop® to treat reflux disease, followed by constructive discussions with a diverse audience of European and international reflux experts.

Inventor of RefluxStop®, CEO and founder of Implantica, Dr. Peter Forsell says, “I want to sincerely thank Prof. Schoppmann and the rest of the leading RefluxStop® panelists for sharing the latest fantastic independent real-world clinical data and experience on the RefluxStop® procedure. With over 1400 patients treated across more than 50 leading reflux centers throughout Europe, while dozens more are lining up, it’s truly rewarding to hear how RefluxStop® has been embraced by hundreds of world-leading surgeons across Europe, the US, and the rest of the world.

Dr. Forsell goes on to say, “An estimated 40% of the one billion GERD sufferers do not respond to medication for the persistent and painful symptoms of the disease. RefluxStop® offers these patients, and those who eschew GERD medication for other reasons, a desperately needed new surgical option. I believe the groundbreaking RefluxStop® procedure will drive a significant paradigm shift in the overall treatment of GERD across Europe and hopefully soon in the US as we continue to advance through the final stages of our FDA approval process.”

https://news.cision.com/implantica/r/refluxstop–takes-center-stage-at-2025-european-foregut-society-meeting,c4265032 

The holiday season is nearly here and what better way to share the spirit of Christmas than by sending a heartfelt card that also makes a difference? Our beautiful selection of OPA Christmas Cards are now available to purchase, with every pack helping us continue our vital work supporting those affected by oesophageal and gastric cancers.

Whether you’re sending festive wishes to family, friends, or colleagues, your cards will carry more than just a message of goodwill — they’ll help raise awareness and fund the ongoing support, education, and research that OPA provides all year round.

Browse our full range of designs and order your cards today: OPA Christmas Cards

Let’s make this Christmas truly meaningful — one card at a time.

As we approach the end of the year, we’d like to extend our heartfelt thanks to our wonderful community for your continued support throughout 2025. We’re excited to share some important updates, inspiring stories, and upcoming initiatives you won’t want to miss!

Here’s what’s inside:

  • Celebrating 40 Years of the OPA!
  • Preparations for Gastric Awareness Month & Acid Reflux Awareness Week
  • Fundraising Updates
  • A Personal Gastric Cancer Story
  • Christmas Cards – Now Available to Purchase Online

and much more!

Thank you for being part of our journey — together, we’re making a real difference!

Read the full edition here

A family doctor is sounding the alarm about one of Britain’s most commonly prescribed medications, warning that millions could be harming their health without realising it.

Omeprazole, the acid reflux drug taken by countless people across the UK, might be doing more damage than good when used incorrectly, according to Dr Ana Pérez Ballesta.

The medication belongs to a group called proton pump inhibitors, which includes similar drugs like esomeprazole and lansoprazole.

While these medicines work brilliantly for treating genuine stomach problems, Dr Ballesta warned that too many people are popping them like sweets without proper medical guidance.

“If you take it unnecessarily, it can hinder the absorption of calcium, magnesium, and vitamin B12,” she cautioned.

The numbers are staggering – in 2022-23 alone, doctors in England wrote 73 million prescriptions for proton pump inhibitors, with omeprazole topping the list.

But many people have started using these pills as a sort of safety net before big nights out or heavy meals.

Dr Ballesta, who holds a master’s degree in Emergency Medicine, says she’s noticed patients treating omeprazole like a “stomach protector” – taking it before drinking alcohol or eating rich foods.

The problem is, this isn’t what the medication was designed for.

It’s meant to treat specific conditions like reflux, oesophagitis, stomach ulcers, or to help eliminate Helicobacter pylori bacteria.

Using it as a preventative measure without a proper medical reason has become worryingly common, even though doctors say there’s no such thing as a true “stomach protector.” The health consequences of taking omeprazole without a proper need can be severe.

Dr Ballesta warns that years of unnecessary use can block your body’s ability to absorb vital nutrients like calcium, magnesium, iron and vitamin B12.

Read more here…

The NHS Cancer Vaccine Launch Pad (CVLP) is a platform that will speed up access to messenger ribonucleic acid (mRNA) personalised cancer vaccine clinical trials for people who have been diagnosed with cancer. It will also accelerate the development of cancer vaccines as a form of cancer treatment.

Through the CVLP, people with cancer who are receiving treatment in the NHS in England can be assessed to see if they might be eligible to join a cancer vaccine clinical trial, and then referred to a hospital that is running a trial.

This collaboration, initially with pharmaceutical company BioNTech, is a significant step towards realising the potential of these personalised vaccines in cancer treatment, in the hope of transforming patient outcomes in the future.

Over time, the CVLP will enable patients to access multiple trials running in different NHS trusts in other parts of the country, increasing access in an equitable way.

Utilising the unique benefits of the NHS as an innovation partner, the collaboration aims to provide up to 10,000 patients with personalised cancer treatments in the UK by 2030.

It is set up by NHS England and Genomics England and works in parallel with the existing NHS Genomic Medicine Service.

You can find out more about clinical trials on the nhs.uk website.

Continue reading…

The government published the 10 year health plan in July 2025. The plan aims to deliver 3 big shifts in how the NHS is run; NIHR research can support these shifts.

  1. Hospital to community: more care will be available on people’s doorsteps and in their homes. A recent NIHR webinar discussed evidence to support the effective implementation of hospital at home and virtual wards.
  2. Analogue to digital: new technology will liberate staff from admin and allow people to manage their care more easily. A previous Collection explored 10 examples of NIHR research on AI applications that could transform the NHS.
  3. Sickness to prevention: the NHS will reach patients earlier and make the healthy choice the easy choice. NIHR research shows that the NHS Health Check is reducing cardiovascular diseases and improving prevention of other diseases through early detection and timely intervention

This information is from the National Institute for Health and Care Research (NIHR)

The SCAN pathway offers a unique opportunity to access one of the UK’s most comprehensive research infrastructures for non-specific cancer symptoms.

The Oxford Suspected Cancer (SCAN) Pathway aims to reduce the time that patients who have vague symptoms that could be cancer wait to be diagnosed. In doing this, it also aims to increase the number of patients that are diagnosed at an early stage in their illness.

SCAN provides:

  • Extensive clinical, laboratory, and imaging data
  • Biobanked blood and urine samples
  • Support for translational and early detection research

Click here to continue reading.

Brits experiencing a prevalent symptom will be given the opportunity to undergo a groundbreaking cancer test at their local high-street pharmacies. The pioneering “sponge on a string” test is part of a new NHS pilot aimed at preventing oesophageal cancer.

As announced by NHS England, numerous pharmacies across England will introduce “heartburn health checks” to detect Barrett’s oesophagus – a potential precursor to oesophageal cancer, which claims over 8,000 lives in the UK annually. A key sign of this is regularly having heartburn.

During the test, patients swallow a small pill attached to a thread. Upon reaching the stomach, it expands into a sponge roughly the size of a penny. After a few minutes, the sponge is carefully removed, collecting cells from the oesophagus lining, which are then examined in a lab for pre-cancerous changes.

Click here to continue reading.

 

Caring for others is one of the most important and often overlooked roles in our society. Whether you’re a paid professional or an unpaid family member providing essential support, your contribution deserves recognition, support, and appreciation.

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