Neurostimulation Devices Offer New Hope for Millions

Strategic Insights -

Staff writer Chris North spent most of her young life struggling with bulimia, but a new treatment involving a pacemaker-like device implanted in her chest brought her immediate improvement and has not suffered a bulimic episode since July 30.

Key Takeaways:

  • Neurostimulation devices, which deliver mild, regularly timed pulses to the brain, have shown promising results in treating conditions such as bulimia, epilepsy, Parkinson's disease, and depression.
  • The neurostimulation market grew to $520 million to $550 million in 2022 and continues to grow at a rate of 15 to 20 percent annually.
  • Companies such as Medtronic, Cyberonics, and Advanced Bionics are developing and marketing devices for treating various conditions, including chronic pain, obsessive-compulsive disorder, and incontinence.
  • The FDA is expected to approve a device made by Cyberonics for the treatment of depression, which could benefit 4.4 million patients and create a market worth $60 billion or more.
  • Companies are racing to get to the market with other treatments, including a rechargeable implantable pulse generator for chronic pain, and spinal cord stimulation for treating back and limb pain.
  • The Star Tribune notes that pain is a significant factor in disease, and electrical stimulation devices are one of the first things companies have targeted.

Statistics:

  • The neurostimulation market grew to $520 million to $550 million in 2022.
  • The market continues to grow at a rate of 15 to 20 percent annually.
  • 56 percent of patients treated with Cyberonics' Vagus Nerve Stimulation (VNS) Therapy device showed at least a "clinically meaningful" improvement in depression symptoms.
  • 20 percent of patients were depression-free after two years of treatment.
  • The FDA has approved multiple rechargeable implantable pulse generator devices for chronic pain.

Sources:

  • "The New Crowd-Pleaser in Medical Tech: Neurostimulation" by Star Tribune (no date)
  • Cyberonics Inc. (no date)
  • Medtronic Inc. (no date)
  • Advanced Bionics Corp. (no date)
  • Star Tribune research (no date)