DRG (soothing implant)

2017: Announcement

At the end of December, 2017 the Abbott company announced creation of a soothing implant of DRG which can become an alternative for a great number of patients with the wearisome pains forcing to accept their opioids in high doses. The innovative technologies developed by Abbott together with the inventions of less large companies, like Nevro Corp., allowed to create more effective implants. Meanwhile toughening of rules of the statement of narcotic medicines stimulates demand for alternative methods of treatment.

The implant of DRG gives in an organism electric signals in such a way that nerve pain decreases. The principle of work reminds technology of noise reduction in earphones: the device fixes the place of pain and satisfies it.

According to analytical company Decisions Resources Group, by the end of 2017 the market of soothing implants makes about $1.8 billion in the USA and $500 million in Europe, but for the next 10 years can grow twice and reach $4 billion.

Soothing implant of DRG from Abbott company

This technology break – the investigation of scientific researches in the field of neurology. At chronic pain transfer of painful impulses is activated; the implanted stimulator sends own electric impulses which compensate or suppress pain, suppressing notsitseptivny nervous impulses in a spinal cord.

Nobody took the first researches seriously, - the analyst Paul Desormeaux is recognized. - The idea of transfer of an electric signal through nervous system frightened off investors, but in process of the publication of the new clinical data proving security of this technique, the general attitude to an invention was changed.

According to the Center for control and prevention of diseases, at least 50 million adult patients in the USA suffer from chronic pain. Stimulation of a spinal cord by means of an implant can help only part of them - about 3.6 million patients, Decisions Resources consider, - but these are the patients needing high doses of narcotic analgetics.

Many of them have damages of nervous system because of an injury or owing to such diseases as a diabetic neuropathy and shingles. Researches show that stimulators of a spinal cord should reduce use of powerful sedatives by 60% and more that will reduce dependence on narcotic analgetics.^[1]

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