The cancer diagnostics company BiBB Instruments AB ("BiBB" or the "Company"), developer of EndoDrill® - the world's first market-cleared powered biopsy instrument for endoscopy - announces that the Company has received a Notification of Grant from the China National Intellectual Property Administration (CNIPA) regarding the Company's second EndoDrill® patent family in China. The patent provides protection in China until 2040 following completion of the remaining administrative procedures.
The Notification of Grant relates to patent application 202080101255.0, entitled "Biopsy instrument, kit of parts and method". Following payment of the prescribed registration fees, CNIPA will grant and publish the patent, after which the patent rights will enter into force. The granted patent belongs to BiBB's second EndoDrill® patent family and provides additional protection for the Company's powered biopsy technology in China.
"The positive outcome of the Chinese patent examination further strengthens our global intellectual property platform surrounding EndoDrill®. China is today one of the world's fastest-growing markets for diagnostic endoscopy, with more than 460,000 EUS procedures performed annually according to published data. As the demand for high-quality tissue sampling continues to increase, we believe that China represents a significant long-term commercial opportunity for EndoDrill®, and that strong intellectual property protection will be an important asset in future commercialization and partnership discussions," says Fredrik Lindblad, CEO of BiBB.
BiBB has three international EndoDrill® patent families that have entered national and regional phases. The Company has previously received patent protection in Europe, the United States, Japan, India and China. This grant means that all three EndoDrill® patent families now have granted patents in China, providing broad protection for the Company's powered biopsy technology in one of the world's largest healthcare markets.
The Company continues to pursue additional patent applications to establish broad and long-term protection for EndoDrill®, the world's first powered biopsy system for endoscopic ultrasound.
This is a translation of the Swedish press release. In the event of any discrepancy, the Swedish language version shall prevail.
For more information, please contact:
Fredrik Lindblad, CEO
Email: fredrik.lindblad@bibbinstruments.com
Phone: +46 70 899 94 86
www.bibbinstruments.com
This information is information that BiBBInstruments AB is obliged to make public pursuant to the EU Market Abuse Regulation (EU) No. 596/2014. The information was submitted for publication, through the agency of the contact person set out above, at the time specified by the Company's news distributor in connection with the publication of this press release.
About BiBBInstruments AB
BiBBInstruments AB is a cancer diagnostics company developing and manufacturing EndoDrill®, the world's first series of market-cleared powered endoscopic biopsy instruments. EndoDrill® is designed to obtain core tissue samples (core needle biopsies, CNB) with high diagnostic accuracy and aims to improve the diagnosis of cancers in organs such as the stomach, pancreas, liver, lungs, and urinary bladder. The product portfolio targets the global market for ultrasound-guided endoscopic biopsy instruments (EUS/EBUS), one of the most advanced and fastest-growing segments within modern endoscopy. BiBB received FDA 510(k) clearance for its first instrument, EndoDrill® GI, in 2023 and CE marking under the European Medical Device Regulation (MDR) in 2024 for all three product variants - EndoDrill® GI, EndoDrill® EBUS, and EndoDrill® URO. As such, EndoDrill® is the first powered biopsy system cleared in both the United States and Europe. The U.S. launch of EndoDrill® GI commenced during the second half of 2025 in collaboration with TaeWoong Medical USA. The EndoDrill® system consists of sterile single-use instruments and a proprietary drive system. BiBB was founded in 2013 by Dr. Charles Walther, cancer researcher at Lund University and senior consultant pathologist at Skåne University Hospital. The Company is headquartered at Medicon Village in Lund, Sweden, and its shares are listed on Spotlight Stock Market (ticker: BIBB).