Reversing the Reversal
Earlier this month, CMS announced its intention to eliminate the Medicare Coverage of Innovative Technology program, which was seen as the major benefit of the FDA’s Breakthrough Device program. The decision sent shockwaves through the device industry, which has been on edge since the Biden administration announced it would reconsider the program, which was implemented via executive order in the waning days of the Trump administration.
Pain Doctors Discuss Therapies and Clinical Trends at 2021 Napa Pain Conference
Several hundred pain clinicians attended the 28th Napa Pain Conference in Napa, CA earlier this month. The event, produced , took place at the Culinary Institute of America’s Copia facility, with participation from on-line attendees. Featured presenters at the event included Daniel Carr, professor emeritus of public health at Tufts University, Carol Warfield, Edward Lowenstein professor of anaesthe…
ULF Neuromodulation May Impact SCS Pain Market
The market for spinal cord stimulation systems for treating chronic back pain has undergone a number of transformations in recent years. In an effort to improve pain relief and expand market access, a cascade of vendors have offered paradigm shifts away from the original SCS therapy, which used tonic stimulation of the dorsal column. These have included high-frequency stimulation, DRG stimulation, burst stimulation, closed loop stimulation, and differential target multiplexed stimulation.
Researchers Seek to Enhance Integration of Prosthetics
One of the most promising segments of the neuroprosthetics market is the neural integration of prosthetic limbs. First-generation neuroprosthetics from companies like Ossur and Ottobock relied on EMG signals to control artificial limbs. Recently, two different research teams demonstrated alternative means of integrating neuroprosthetic limbs, one relying on magnetic signaling and the other using peripheral nerve stimulation.
Neuromodulation Executives Share Data and Talk Data at NANS Mid-Year Meeting
Several hundred pain clinicians, neurosurgeons, and neuromodulation industry professionals assembled in Orlando, FL earlier this month for the 2021 Mid-Year meeting of the North American Neuromodulation Society. The event, which augmented the society’s January 2021 web conference, was the first in-person neuromodulation meeting for many attendees since the onset of the coronavirus pandemic. The mee…
A National Effort
In order for the nation to build a strong neurotechnology industry, there needs to be a coordinated effort among the key players in government, academia, industry, the military, and the investment community, all working together toward a common goal. Such an effort has been underway for the last several years—not in the U.S., but in the U.K. In 2018, the Royal Society assembled a working group of neurotech professionals from academia and industry to help them identify key themes in neural interface technologies.
Investors and MedTechs Rush to Fund BCI Startups
Investor interest in funding startup and early-stage vendors of implanted brain devices continued to flourish in recent weeks. Coming on the heels of Peter Thiel’s and re.Mind Capital’s $10 million investment in Blackrock Neurotech [NBR May21 p2], Elon Musk’s Neuralink earlier this month announced a $205 million series C round led , with participation from Google Ventures, DFJ Growth, Valor Equity Partners, Craft Ventures, Founders Fund, and Gigafund.
PNS Market Attracts Host of New Competitors
The market for peripheral nerve stimulation systems has become increasingly crowded in recent months, as new competitors have emerged to treat neurological disorders such as chronic pain and overactive bladder. At the recent mid-year meeting of the North American Neuromodulation Society in Orlando, FL [see conference report, p6], executives from six PNS vendors described their product offerings. These included Nalu Medical, SPR Therapeutics, Stimwave, BlueWind Medical, Mainstay Medical, and Neuspera Medical.
Neural Engineering Researchers Present Findings at Neural Interfaces 2021
Neuroscientists, neuroengineers, neurosurgeons, and related professionals assembled online earlier this month for the 2021 version of the Neural Interfaces Conference. A spinoff of the original NIH Neural Prosthesis Workshop, this year’s virtual meeting was produced jointly with the North American Neuromodulation Society. The two-day event kicked off with an NIH/FDA pre-session co-moderated Disorde…
Facing the Crowd
One of the signs that a new industry or industry segment is poised for growth is the emergence of new competitors to challenge the incumbent players in that space. We are clearly seeing that come to pass in the neurotechnology industry. The first neuromodulation industry segment to experience this was spinal cord stimulation when Advanced Neuromodulation Systems (now Abbott) and then Advanced Bionics (now Boston Scientific) challenged Medtronic’s dominance in that space.