LYNDHURST, Ohio — Innovative Medical Equipment LLC has launched its second product — SootheAway, a heating and cooling device for migraine and headache pain sufferers.
SootheAway works by controlling the temperature of water that circulates through a pad designed to be worn across the forehead and sinuses, the back of the head or the eyes, Innovative Medical Equipment said in a EurekaAlert! release. A rectangular “universal” pad could be used to treat pain in other areas, such as the back, shoulder, neck, knee or abdomen.
According to the SootheAway Web site, the starting price of the device and one relief pad is $349.99, though Innovative Medical is offering the device and pad at an introductory rate of $299.99. Additional pads cost $39.99 apiece. That includes an injection pad doctors can use to ease patient pain from Botox or other injections.
Consumers do not need a prescription to buy the device, though Innovative Medical recommends that consumers consult their doctors before using it.
The company also makes Laser-Seal, a silicone dressing used by physicians to reduce patients’ pain, inflammation and healing time after laser resurfacing procedures.
Innovative Medical was founded by Dr. Bahman Guyuron, chairman of plastic surgery at Case Western Reserve University and University Hospitals Case Medical Center. Guyuron also is president of the American Association of Plastic Surgeons and director of the American Board of Plastic Surgery.
“A wide variety of prescription medications, Botox injections and even surgery are all available options for migraineurs,” Guyuron said in his company’s release. “But for patients who either want to buy time until medications take effect, or who are not candidates for, or choose not to pursue these remedies, SootheAway provides a low-risk, low-complexity headache treatment solution that works.
A Deep-dive Into Specialty Pharma
A specialty drug is a class of prescription medications used to treat complex, chronic or rare medical conditions. Although this classification was originally intended to define the treatment of rare, also termed “orphan” diseases, affecting fewer than 200,000 people in the US, more recently, specialty drugs have emerged as the cornerstone of treatment for chronic and complex diseases such as cancer, autoimmune conditions, diabetes, hepatitis C, and HIV/AIDS.
“The efficacy of heating and cooling therapy in alleviating pain has been recognized for years within the medical community and amongst patients,” Guyuron said.
