“Nervous” Energy has Neuro and Nerve Technology Sectors Abuzz

Between acquisitions, funding and new products, orthopedic technology companies are making moves to expand their impact in the field of neurology, whether it’s in pain management, surgical or diagnostic. Neurotech-specific companies are growing, too, and reports project the neurosurgical market will grow at a rate of 11.71 percent per year from now until 2019.

According to a January market research report from Elmhurst, Ill.-based Infiniti Research Ltd., neurostimulators have proven to be a major upcoming trend in the global neurosurgery market. These surgically implanted devices deliver mild electrical signals to the epidural space near the spine through one or more lead wires. The electrical signals cause a tingling sensation in the area affected by chronic pain. The report notes that the trend is for these devices to treat chronic pain as well as migraines, epilepsy, post-cancer therapy pain, lower back pain, and Parkinson’s disease. Clinical evidence supporting the use of neurostimulation devices is increasing their adoption rate among neurosurgeons. Approximately 12 percent of deaths worldwide are caused by neurological disorders like epilepsy, Alzheimer’s and Parkinson’s. Cost-effectiveness and the cost-to-utility ratio of neurostimulation devices are slightly higher as compared to drugs, the report states, which are used as symptomatic treatment options over long durations. The use of neurostimulation devices for the treatment of neurological disorders, particularly among the elderly, is expected to bolster the growth of the market.

“Neurostimulation and neuromodulation are here to stay,” wrote Emil A. Tanagho in a 2012 paper that appeared in the journal Translational Urology and Urology. “They have already proven their effectiveness and their potential benefits. Considerable progress has been made during the last two decades in understanding the basic issues that are related to neurostimulation and its potential application, not only in the urinary tract and the pelvic organs, but also in other organs. Whenever there is an intact motor neuron system that can be isolated, it can be stimulated to drive the function it was intended for. Electrophrenic respirators are clear examples of the successful application of neurostimulation to drive the diaphragm in high quadriplegic patients. The auditory prosthesis is another successful application of neurostimulation to restore hearing loss.”

Companies such as Bioness (which just earned U.S. Food and Drug Administration clearance for an implantable neuromodulation device designed to treat chronic, intractable pain of peripheral nerve origin) and Stimwave Technologies (whose new device the Freedom Stimulator treats long-term chronic back and leg pain) are a part of this movement to find long-term, convenient relief for patients in chronic pain (see below). Meanwhile, the National Institutes of Health (NIH) is taking note of noninvasive products such as Flint Rehabilitation Devices’ Musicglove, which spine-injury or stroke patients can wear to improve hand mobility that may have been diminished.

Orthotech-focused companies that may not yet have competency in the neuro space are bolstering their position with mergers or intellectual property acquisitions. The brain is well-known to be the final great frontier of the human body—as more is discovered about its structure and function, the more technology is fine-tuned to address its needs, and the more the market grows. Read on for news about activity in the neuro space.