Given Imaging

Given Imaging, an Israeli medical technology firm, pioneered the field of capsule endoscopy. The company was founded in 1998 by Gavriel Meron and Rafael Development Corporation (RDC) Ltd., based on an idea from Dr. Gabi Iddan. While working in the missile division of Rafael Advanced Defense Systems, Dr. Iddan conceived the idea of miniaturizing missile technology to create a swallowable medical camera. Gavriel Meron, who had a background in economics and served in the Israeli military overseeing budgets, partnered with scientist Dr. Arkady Glukhovsky to establish the company, with initial funding from Elron Electronic Industries.

The company's core business revolves around the manufacturing and marketing of diagnostic products for visualizing and detecting disorders within the gastrointestinal (GI) tract. Its flagship product line, PillCam™, consists of a vitamin-sized, ingestible capsule containing a miniature camera, light source, and transmitter. Patients swallow the capsule, which then travels through their digestive system, capturing thousands of images that are transmitted to a recorder worn by the patient. This provides a minimally invasive method for physicians to examine areas of the small intestine that are difficult to reach with traditional endoscopy. The company serves gastroenterologists and other medical professionals in hospitals and clinics. Revenue is generated through the sale of these single-use capsules and the associated hardware and software systems.

The first product, initially named M2A, received its CE mark in May 2001 and was cleared by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) in August 2001 for visualizing abnormalities of the small intestine. The company went public on NASDAQ in October 2001. Over the years, Given Imaging expanded its product line to include specialized capsules for the esophagus and colon, such as the PillCam COLON 2 and PillCam ESO. The technology features adaptive frame rates, where the image capture speed changes based on the capsule's movement, optimizing tissue coverage. A significant milestone was the February 2014 acquisition by Covidien for approximately $860 million, which led to Given Imaging becoming a private company. The following year, Medtronic acquired Covidien, and Given Imaging's products are now part of Medtronic's portfolio.

Keywords: capsule endoscopy, gastrointestinal diagnostics, PillCam, medical devices, minimally invasive diagnostics, digestive system imaging, small bowel visualization, Medtronic, Covidien, Gavriel Meron, Gabi Iddan, GI tract disorders, ingestible camera, wireless endoscopy, Crohn's disease diagnosis, obscure GI bleeding, medical technology, diagnostic imaging, telehealth, remote diagnostics