LONDON--(BUSINESS WIRE)--LivaNova PLC (NASDAQ:LIVN), a market-leading medical technology company, today announced that a new cost analysis found the Company’s Vagus Nerve Stimulation Therapy® (VNS Therapy) System results in lower resource utilization and lower cost for drug-resistant epilepsy (DRE) patients when compared to continued treatment with anti-epileptic drugs (AEDs).1 The analysis, published in Advances in Therapy and supported by LivaNova, showed initial costs for the VNS Therapy device, including placement and programming, were estimated to be offset 1.7 years post-implant and equated to an estimated net cost savings of $77,480 per patient over five years. The net cost savings are due primarily to a reduction in seizure-related hospitalizations, resulting in a 21.5 percent decrease in costs compared to treatment with AEDs alone.
“The ability to improve outcomes while reducing costs is an important area of focus in healthcare today. Our VNS Therapy System achieves this by reducing seizure frequency and by decreasing overall cost of treatment,” said Edward Andrle, LivaNova General Manager of Neuromodulation. “We are proud that VNS Therapy is a proven, practical treatment option for drug-resistant epilepsy that eases the associated financial burden for both patients and the healthcare system.”
Approximately one in three patients with epilepsy has DRE. These patients are subject to frequent seizures that require expensive health resources like hospitalizations and emergency department visits. By evaluating more than 1,500 patients in the United States, the new cost model demonstrates cost savings attributed to positive health outcomes from the use of VNS Therapy as opposed to treatment with AEDs.
“Not only did the analysis demonstrate a significant cost savings associated with VNS Therapy treatment in comparison to AED treatment alone, but this savings is based on a very important health outcome – the reduction of seizure frequency,” said Bryan Olin, LivaNova Senior Vice President for Clinical, Quality Assurance and Regulatory Affairs. “By reducing seizure frequency with VNS Therapy, we may also see a positive impact on patients’ quality of life.”
About the RTI Health Solutions Study
This study was conducted by RTI Health Solutions under the direction of LivaNova PLC and was funded by LivaNova PLC. Article processing charges were funded by LivaNova PLC. The number of eligible patients for the study was calculated to be 1,536.
About VNS Therapy for Epilepsy
VNS Therapy is clinically proven safe and effective for the treatment of drug-resistant epilepsy for adults and children. VNS Therapy is designed to prevent seizures before they occur and stop them if they do. It is a unique treatment approach developed for people with drug-resistant epilepsy—a condition that affects one in three people with epilepsy. For more information, visit www.VNSTherapy.com.
INTENDED USE/INDICATIONS – UNITED STATES
The VNS Therapy System is indicated for use as an adjunctive therapy in reducing the frequency of seizures in patients 4 years of age and older with partial onset seizures that are refractory to antiepileptic medications.
Individual results may vary. Common side effects include hoarseness, shortness of breath, sore throat and coughing. To view safety and full prescribing information, visit www.VNSTherapy.com/safety.
About LivaNova
LivaNova PLC is a global medical technology company built on nearly five decades of experience and a relentless commitment to improve the lives of patients around the world. LivaNova’s advanced technologies and breakthrough treatments provide meaningful solutions for the benefit of patients, healthcare professionals and healthcare systems. Headquartered in London, LivaNova has a presence in more than 100 countries worldwide. The Company currently employs approximately 4,000 employees. LivaNova operates as two businesses: Cardiac Surgery and Neuromodulation, with operating headquarters in Mirandola (Italy) and Houston (U.S.A.), respectively.
For more information, please visit www.livanova.com.
Safe Harbor Statement
This news release contains forward-looking statements within the meaning of Section 27A of the United States Securities Act of 1933, as amended, and Section 21E of the United States Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended. Forward-looking statements are not historical facts but are based on certain assumptions of management and describe LivaNova’s future plans, strategies and expectations. Forward-looking statements can generally be identified by the use of forward-looking terminology, including, but not limited to, "may," “could,” “seek,” “guidance,” “predict,” “potential,” “likely,” "believe," "will," "expect," "anticipate," "estimate," "plan," "intend," "forecast," or variations of these terms and similar expressions, or the negative of these terms or similar expressions. Forward-looking statements contained in this news release are based on information presently available to LivaNova and assumptions that LivaNova believes to be reasonable, but are inherently uncertain. As a result, LivaNova’s actual results, performance or achievements may differ materially from those expressed or implied by these forward-looking statements, which are not guarantees of future performance or actions that may be taken by LivaNova and involve known and unknown risks, uncertainties and other factors that are, in some cases, beyond LivaNova’s control. You should carefully consider the risks and uncertainties that affect LivaNova, including those described in the “Risk Factors” section of LivaNova’s Annual Reports on Form 10-K, Quarterly Reports on Form 10-Q, Current Reports on Form 8-K and other documents filed from time to time with the United States Securities and Exchange Commission.
All information in this news release is as of the date of its release. LivaNova does not undertake or assume any obligation to update publicly any of the forward-looking statements in this news release to reflect actual results, new information or future events, changes in assumptions or changes in other factors affecting forward-looking statements, except to the extent required by applicable law. If we update one or more forward-looking statements, no inference should be drawn that we will make additional updates with respect to those or other forward-looking statements. We caution you not to place undue reliance on any forward-looking statements, which are made only as of the date of this news release.
1 Purser, M.F., Mladsi, D.M., Beckman, A. et al.
Adv Ther (2018). https://doi.org/10.1007/s12325-018-0775-0.
2
The New England Journal of Medicine. Drug-Resistant Epilepsy. Patrick
Kwan, M.D., Ph.D., Steven C. Schachter, M.D., and Martin J. Brodie, M.D.
