
MASSDEVICE ON CALL — Medtech titan Medtronic (NYSE:MDT) rocked the renal denervation world when it reported earlier this month that it’s bellwether Symplicity clinical trial failed to meet efficacy expectations when compared to a sham control arm.
Physicians and researchers are trying to pick up the pieces and determine what the results mean for renal denervation technology, which had gained significant prominence as a potential game-changer for hypertension treatment.
Dr. George Bakris, one of the principal investigators in Medtronic’s SYMPLICITY HTN-3 trial, predicted that renal denervation would enter a "moratorium" period, he told TheHeart.org. Although the device hit endpoints for demonstrating safety, there doesn’t appear to be any reason to recommend the treatment to patients, he said.
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