• Additional +80 GI Genius™ units to be donated for a total of 133 to 62 facilities that primarily serve communities with low screening rates or where access to the technology is not currently available
• Grady Memorial Hospital in Atlanta, Georgia is the first site to receive GI Genius modules through Medtronic's Health Equity Assistance Program

DUBLIN, July 15, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- Medtronic plc (NYSE:MDT), a global leader in healthcare technology, and the American Society for Gastrointestinal Endoscopy (ASGE) today announced they are expanding the Medtronic Health Equity Assistance Program for colon cancer screening in medically underserved communities across the United States, with support from Amazon Web Services's (AWS) Health Equity Initiative. The GI Genius units provided as part of the program have increased from 50 to 133 systems being placed at 62 facilities.

Grady Memorial Hospital in Atlanta, Ga. was the first to receive its donated GI Genius units last month following the launch of the program in February 2022. Gastroenterologists at Grady Memorial Hospital perform more than 7,000 colon cancer screening procedures each year among a predominantly Black community. Accounting for 80% of the specialty's patient population, Black adults are disproportionately burdened by colon cancer, at greater risk of diagnosis, worse outcome and death.

"We are excited to provide this novel technology to our patients. By utilizing GI Genius, we have the potential to increase our adenoma detection rate and reduce the incidence of colorectal cancer in a high-risk and vulnerable population," said Benjamin D. Renelus, M.D., a gastroenterologist at Grady Memorial Hospital. "The hospital's hope is that the thousands of patients receiving colonoscopy cancer screenings each year at our facility will benefit from Medtronic's GI Genius intelligent endoscopy module with the potential for earlier detection and better patient outcomes."

"This endeavor is a unique and inspiring opportunity to contribute enormously to the reduction of colorectal cancer screening disparities in communities where patients are disproportionately uninsured and have historically faced barriers accessing life-saving preventative care, including healthcare technology that can aid in detecting colorectal cancer," said Fola May, M.D., Ph.D., associate professor of Medicine, director of Quality Improvement in Gastroenterology, and health equity researcher at UCLA Health.

"Equity in healthcare begins with ensuring access for all to life-transforming therapies," said Geoff Martha, Medtronic chairman and chief executive officer. "It's exciting to see how our new collaboration with AWS can help clinicians detect colon cancer early among some of the highest risk individuals in our country."

The GI Genius intelligent endoscopy module, authorized by the FDA in April 2021, is the first-to-market, computer-aided polyp detection system powered by artificial intelligence (AI)  to detect colorectal polyps of varying shapes and sizes automatically in real time which helps diagnose and prevent colorectal cancer. In the first U.S. trial using GI Genius, results published this spring showed a 50% reduction in missed colorectal polyps with AI technology versus standard colonoscopy.

"This initiative is so important because we know that almost half of all cases of post-colonoscopy colon cancer may be attributed to not catching polyps during the index colonoscopy,"^1,2 said Dr. Austin Chiang, M.D., M.P.H., chief medical officer of the Gastrointestinal business, which is part of the Medical Surgical Portfolio at Medtronic. "We have seen the impact that AI-assisted colonoscopies can have, and this study unequivocally demonstrates that this technology helps physicians better detect polyps during colonoscopies. The impact of missed polyps could ultimately be the difference between life and death when we consider that 90% of patients with colon cancer can beat it when it's caught early."³

The American Society for Gastrointestinal Endoscopy, who led the submission and selection process for this program, recently released their full list of recipients for donated GI Genius units.

About ASGE
Since its founding in 1941, the American Society for Gastrointestinal Endoscopy (ASGE) has been dedicated to advancing patient care and digestive health by promoting excellence and innovation in gastrointestinal endoscopy. ASGE, with almost 15,000 members worldwide, promotes the highest standards for endoscopic training and practice, fosters endoscopic research, recognizes distinguished contributions to endoscopy, and is the foremost resource for endoscopic education. Visit Asge.org and ValueOfColonoscopy.org for more information.

About Medtronic
Bold thinking. Bolder actions. We are Medtronic. Medtronic plc, headquartered in Dublin, Ireland, is the leading global healthcare technology company that boldly attacks the most challenging health problems facing humanity by searching out and finding solutions. Our Mission — to alleviate pain, restore health, and extend life — unites a global team of 95,000+ passionate people across 150 countries. Our technologies and therapies treat 70 health conditions and include cardiac devices, surgical robotics, insulin pumps, surgical tools, patient monitoring systems, and more. Powered by our diverse knowledge, insatiable curiosity, and desire to help all those who need it, we deliver innovative technologies that transform the lives of two people every second, every hour, every day. Expect more from us as we empower insight-driven care, experiences that put people first, and better outcomes for our world. In everything we do, we are engineering the extraordinary. For more information on Medtronic (NYSE:MDT), visit www.Medtronic.com and follow @Medtronic on Twitter and LinkedIn.

Any forward-looking statements are subject to risks and uncertainties such as those described in Medtronic's periodic reports on file with the Securities and Exchange Commission. Actual results may differ materially from anticipated results.

¹Zhao S, Wang S, Pan P, et al. Magnitude, Risk Factors, and Factors Associated With Adenoma Miss Rate of Tandem Colonoscopy: A Systematic Review and Meta-analysis. Gastroenterology 2019;156:1661-1674.e11
²Robertson, D.J.; Lieberman, D.A.; Winawer, S.J.; Ahnen, D.J.; Baron, J.A.; Schatzkin, A.; Cross, A.J.; Zauber, A.G.; Church, T.R.; Lance, P.; et al. Colorectal Cancers Soon after Colonoscopy: A Pooled Multicohort Analysis. Gut 2014, 63, 949–956.
³National Cancer Institute. Cancer stat facts: colon and rectum cancer. National Cancer Institute Website. http://seer.cancer.gov/statfacts/html/colorect.html. Accessed Feb. 7, 2017.

SOURCE Medtronic plc