Medtronic receives recommendation for approval of brain therapy
Posted on 16/03/2010 in Medical Company Product News
Medtronic has received a recommendation from a Food and Drug Administration panel that its Deep Brain Stimulation (DBS) therapy be approved for patients with epilepsy.
The regulator's neurological devices panel voted seven to five in favour of ratifying the electrical stimulation therapy method as an adjunctive treatment for partial-onset seizures in adult sufferers of medically refractory epilepsy.
This technology utilises a pacemaker-style device to administer small electrical pulses to certain parts of the brain and has already been approved as a treatment for Parkinson's disease.
Medtronic's senior vice-president and president of the neuromodulation business unit Tom Tefft expressed hope that this can lead to new treatment possibilities for epilepsy sufferers.
Mr Tefft said: "We're proud to partner with leading research centres and physicians to continue the pursuit of appropriate applications for DBS therapy for the benefit of patients."
The medical device firm was named as one of the Massachusetts Institute of Technology's Technology Review journal's 50 most innovative companies earlier this month in recognition of the work it has done in developing the DBS therapy.
