Imagine waking up in pain every day. According to the Institute of Medicine of The National Academies, more than 110 million people in the U.S. endure chronic pain of various types, ranging from migraines and serious back and foot injuries to amputations.
There’s hope on the horizon, however.
Willoughby medical device company
Neuros Medical recently completed development of Altius, an implantable generator featuring the company's patented Electrical Nerve Block technology. “Altius is an implantable device that generates a high-frequency electrical stimulation signal that blocks the nerve from transmitting pain signals,” explains Jon Snyder, President and CEO of the company. “As a result, it blocks the pain signal from traveling along the nerve to the brain."
The device is about one-third the size of an iPhone and requires an incision of one to two inches. It’s typically implanted by interventional pain physicians, vascular surgeons or neurosurgeons on an outpatient basis.
“Altius is implanted in various locations of the body, wherever is best for the patient,” Snyder says. “Allowing for the incision to heal and post-operative pain to subside, it can usually be activated two weeks after implantation. Patients use a small remote control to provide on-demand treatment for their pain. The device uses a rechargeable lithium-ion battery to produce the signal, and depending on how often the patient uses it, the unit needs to be recharged every two to eight weeks,” he notes.
The initial target market for Altius is chronic amputation pain, Snyder states, with plans for other pain conditions to follow, including migraines, facial pain and chronic post-surgical pain.
“Upon FDA approval, pain physicians at about 10 to 15 clinical sites throughout the country will begin conducting safety and efficacy studies of Altius by the end of the year,” he explains. “Assuming positive results and FDA approval, we expect to have it on the market in early 2016.”
Snyder has a personal passion for helping those suffering with chronic pain. “It’s extremely gratifying to develop something that has the potential to significantly improve patients’ lives for many years to come,” he says.
Source: Jon Snyder, Neuros Medical, Inc.
Writer: Lynne Meyer