Abbott (NYSE:ABT) said today that it launched its Proclaim dorsal root ganglion neurostimulation system in Europe for patients suffering from chronic neuropathic pain.
The Abbott Park, Il.-based company’s system targets sensory nerves packed within the dorsal root ganglion to directly target the area of the body where pain occurs and provide stronger pain relief compared to traditional spinal cord stimulation therapy.
“Many patients battling chronic neuropathic pain have not found adequate relief from other forms of treatment, which is why dorsal root ganglion stimulation has been such an important therapeutic advancement for pain specialists worldwide,” Dr. Harold Nijhuis, an anesthesiologist from the Netherlands, said in prepared remarks. “With the approval of the Proclaim DRG System, I am able to address chronic focal pain for my patients while offering them access to new, patient-centric benefits and features to improve their therapy experience.”
Abbott claims it is the only company to offer a neurostim device designed for DRG therapy. Patients with chronic neuropathic pain can access the company’s Proclaim platform and an iPod touch mobile digital device patient controller that features wireless communication via Bluetooth.
“Abbott continues to pursue innovative solutions for chronic pain because far too many patients with chronic intractable pain battle symptoms that are not adequately managed with current therapies,” Abbott’s medical director of neuromodulation Dr. Allen Burton added. “Our Proclaim DRG Neurostimulation System addresses this unmet need by offering a therapy that is superior to traditional spinal cord stimulation combined with patient-friendly technology.”
Yesterday, Abbott touted short- and long-term data published in the journal Pain, which demonstrated that its dorsal root ganglion stimulation therapy benefits patients suffering from complex regional pain syndrome more than traditional spinal cord stimulation.
The newly-published data is from the company’s ACCURATE study, which evaluated DRG stimulation in patients for 3 and 12 months.
After 3 and 12 months, patients who received Abbott’s DRG stimulation therapy had meaningful pain relief and 74.2% of them had treatment success, compared to 53% of patients who received traditional SCS.
Secondary endpoint data showed that at 12 months, more than a third of the patients who received DRG stimulation were experiencing 80% pain relief with no paresthesia. DRG patients also demonstrated statistically greater improvements in quality of life compared to their counterparts in the control group.
