The Bothell, Wash.–based clinical-stage biopharma Athira Pharma (NSDQ:ATHA) is in a tailspin after the company’s board put Leen Kawas, the firm’s CEO, on temporary leave. The company’s stock closed the day at an all-time low of $11.15. The stock was valued as high as $34.25 on Dec. 31, 2020. Washington State University has launched an […]
Neurological
Unraveling aducanumab’s impact remains a challenge
The FDA’s conditional approval of Biogen’s (NSDQ:BIIB) and Eisai’s (OTCMKTS:ESALY) Alzheimer’s drug aducanumab (Aduhelm) may have been controversial, but the decision will likely have a significant financial impact. There are 6 million people with Alzheimer’s in the U.S. alone, according to Alzheimer’s Association estimates. Approximately half of those patients have mild symptoms, which is the group most likely […]
FDA rejects Verily’s smartwatch-based Parkinson’s exam
The FDA issued a letter to Google’s (NSDQ:GOOGL) Verily declaring that it will not accept a letter of intent for the company’s Parkinson’s exam. Verily submitted the LOI for drug development tool (DDT) for the virtual motor exam for Parkinson’s disease. The device measures a change in digitally assessed parameters of a subset of Parkinson’s disease […]
FDA approves Medtronic recharge-free spinal cord neurostim
Medtronic (NYSE:MDT) announced today that the FDA approved its Vanta recharge-free implantable neurostimulator (INS). Fridley, Minn.–based Medtronic touts the Vanta INS as having a device life of up to 11 years — more than twice the device life of competitive primary cell devices, according to a news release. Additionally, Vanta uses Medtronic’s proprietary AdaptiveStim technology […]
NeuroMetrix reports mixed results in fibromyalgia trial
NeuroMetrix (NSDQ:NURO) announced a mixed bag of top-line results from its trial of Quell in patients with fibromyalgia. Woburn, Mass.–based NeuroMetrix’s double-blind, randomized, sham-controlled trial evaluated the treatment of fibromyalgia with Quell, an over-the-counter novel transcutaneous electrical nerve stimulator (TENS) indicated for symptomatic relief and management of chronic lower extremity pain. Quell, a wearable device […]
Meet the drugs and devices giving hope to millions of migraine patients
Neurologists have had relatively few tools at their disposal to help migraine patients, but the treatment landscape has evolved considerably in recent years, according to Alexander Feoktistov, a neurologist at the Synergy Integrative Headache Center in Chicago. “I’ve been in this field of headache medicine for probably over 20 years now, and I’ve never been […]
FDA approves Medtronic’s SenSight directional lead system for DBS therapy
Medtronic (NYSE:MDT) announced today that it received FDA approval for its SenSight directional lead system used in deep brain stimulation therapy. Fridley, Minn.–based Medtronic designed the SenSight directional lead system for DBS therapy to combine directionality and sensing to allow physicians to deliver precise, patient-specific DBS therapy for treating some symptoms associated with movement disorders […]
Medtronic implant found better at predicting AFib than external device
A Medtronic implant was three times better than an external monitor at detecting new atrial fibrillation in stroke patients, a new study says. The Post-Embolic Rhythm Detection With Implantable Versus External Monitoring (PER DIEM) study pitted Medtronic’s Reveal Linq implantable device, which monitors for AFib over 12 months, against the Spiderflash-T external device made by […]
Noveome Biotherapeutics inks licensing deal for SipNose drug delivery device
Noveome Biotherapeutics announced that it entered a commercial license agreement to use SipNose’s proprietary drug delivery device. Yokneam, Israel–based SipNose develops its intranasal Cribriform Targeted Device (CT6), which, under the agreement, was licensed to Noveome to deliver the Pittsburgh-based company’s ST266 biologic to the central nervous systems, according to a news release. Get the full story at our […]
Medtronic beats The Street in Q4, Hugo robot wins IDE
Medtronic (NYSE:MDT) had much to tout with its pipeline as it released Street-beating fourth-quarter results. CEO Geoff Martha announced to analysts that FDA has granted the company’s much-anticipated Hugo robot an investigational device exemption approval. Medtronic is preparing to commence its Expand Uro trial in the U.S. to study Hugo in urologic procedures, Martha said […]
NeuroOne gains Nasdaq listing
NeuroOne Medical Technologies (OTC:NMTC) announced that it was approved to uplist and begin trading on the Nasdaq market. Eden Prairie, Minn.-based NeuroOne expects trading to commence today at the open of the market, with the company trading under the “NMTC” ticker, according to a news release. The developer of surgical care options for patients suffering […]
