Abbott announced the launch of the newly-approved NeuroSphere Virtual Clinic by which deep brain stimulation patients can have their devices programmed and reset remotely, from the comfort of their homes without having to travel to a specialist.
Medtronic's new deep brain stimulation device, Percept, reads brain signals to better optimize treatment. Traditionally, physicians adjust DBS signals based on a patient’s diary entries, which can be imprecise.
Companies developing deep brain stimulation and other neurostimulator technologies that can control and communicate signals to and from artificial body parts (i.e. limbs, eyeballs) are the latest players in the medical device sector.
Also, Bob Abraham, Pfizer's head of oncology research and development, talks about the ups and downs of drug development and Philadelphia becomes the first major city to pass a soda tax.
Boston Scientific (BSX) announced it has received the CE Mark for its Vercise Deep Brain Stimulation System for the treatment of dystonia, “a neurological movement disorder characterized by involuntary muscle contractions.” Dystonia is the third most common movement disorder after Parkinson’s disease and essential tremor, and more than 500,000 patients in Europe have it, according […]
While we all marveled over Medtronic’s latest DBS system, GE-held Insightec (based in Israel) has published results from a pilot study in the NEJM that may validate the Exablate Neuro, a device that combines focused ultrasound surgery with continuous MRI via a “helmet” transducer that shoots out ultrasound elements, stopping the tremors. It’s “noninvasive, incisionless […]
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.
Great Lakes NeuroTechnologies, a Cleveland-area company that promised more focus on DBS treatments as well as new products this year, has expanded its intellectual property in that area. The patent covers a wearable apparatus that positions an array of electrodes on the surface of the scalp and provides low-dose stimulation to the brain using […]
In the decade since the FDA cleared the first deep brain stimulation device to treat symptoms of Parkinson’s disease (Medtronic’s Activa), it’s become established a safe, effective option along the spectrum of care. But Geoff Thrope, the founder and managing director of venture and commercialization firm NDI Medical LLC, said that technology hasn’t changed much […]
