St. Jude Medical ($STJ) is building its case for wider use of peripheral nerve stimulation technology to treat migraines.
The Minnesota device company says that the first large-scale study using the treatment against the occipital nerves to tackle chronic migraines showed major improvements over 12 weeks. Researchers studied 157 patients at 15 U.S. medical centers in a prospective, randomized controlled study, and they found that 43% showed overall improvements in their overall migraine-related disability scores; 42% said the treatment lessened their pain; and a little more than half said their pain relief after treatment was either "excellent" or "good."
St. Jude's scientists tested the company's Genesis neurostimulation system, which has approval to treat pain related to intractable chronic migraines in both Europe (since 2011) and Australia. Genesis treats patients with mild electrical pulses that hit the occipital nerves just under the skin at the back of the head, by way of a neurostimulator and leads placed under the skin.
The company announced a few weeks ago that it gained a CE mark for a second round of products in the same space. This includes the Eon neurostimulators and the Eon Mini, which is billed as the world's smallest rechargeable device in the space--about as big as a man's watch.
Competition is coming soon, however, both in the U.S. and overseas companies ranging from Autonomic Technologies to archrival Medtronic ($MDT) develop or sell competing products.
- read the release
Related Articles:
Tiny St. Jude neurostim migraine treatment device wins CE mark
St. Jude gets CE Mark for migraine device
Like what you're reading?
Click here to get more news like this delivered to your inbox every day >