LONDON--(BUSINESS WIRE)--LivaNova PLC (NASDAQ:LIVN), a market-leading medical technology and innovation company, today announced it will host “Updates and Advances in Neuromodulation,” a satellite symposium at AES2020, the virtual event of the American Epilepsy Society. The symposium will feature presentations from four leading clinicians and will be moderated by Sandi K. Lam, MD, who is Division Head of Neurosurgery at the Ann & Robert Lurie Children’s Hospital and Professor of Neurological Surgery at Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine in Chicago, USA.
Scheduled for Sunday, December 6 from 6 to 8:30 p.m. Eastern, the virtual symposium offers an opportunity for epilepsy industry professionals, clinicians and academicians to gain a better understanding of the evolving role of neuromodulation devices in the treatment of drug-resistant epilepsy (DRE). Attendees will learn about the healthcare and economic burden of the current treatment pathway for DRE and how VNS Therapy® may reduce healthcare utilization, and associated costs, on an annual, per-patient basis. In addition to epilepsy, the symposium will explore the use of VNS Therapy to treat other disorders. The symposium will be hosted via an interactive online format available at no additional fee for all AES2020 registrants. A recording of the symposium will be available following the event for registrants.
LivaNova pioneered the VNS Therapy System, which sends mild pulses to the vagus nerve via an implantable device, to prevent seizures in epilepsy patients for whom medications have proven unsuccessful. One in three epilepsy patients has a drug-resistant form of the disease.1
“Many patients have tried six or more anti-epileptic drugs before they receive VNS Therapy, despite evidence demonstrating its ability to improve patient outcomes and lower costs,” said Paul Buckman, LivaNova President, North America. “We remain dedicated to creating innovative medical technologies that provide hope for DRE patients and their families and to exploring the application of VNS Therapy for other conditions that are difficult to treat, such as chronic heart failure.”
The symposium, “Updates and Advances in Neuromodulation,” includes the following presentations:
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Delays in the treatment of DRE: Occurrence and consequences - Experience in England
Presenter: Prof. Arjune Sen, MA (Oxon), Ph.D., MRCP, Associate Professor, Consultant Neurologist, University of Oxford/John Radcliffe Hospital, UK2
A longitudinal analysis underscores the health care and economic burden of the current pathway for VNS Therapy patients in England and the need for earlier referral of DRE patients to VNS Therapy.
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Delays in the treatment of DRE: Occurrence and consequences - Experience in the U.S.
Presenter: Sandi K. Lam, MD, MBA, Division Head of Neurosurgery, Ann & Robert Lurie Children’s Hospital, Professor of Neurological Surgery, Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine
Neuromodulation therapies like VNS Therapy can reduce health care utilization, and associated costs, on an annual, per-patient basis for patients with DRE. This workshop aims to fill knowledge gaps in the economic penalties of DRE for both the patient and provider.
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Comparison of treatment with VNS, RNS, or DBS for DRE
Presenter: Robert S. Fisher, MD, Ph.D., a Maslah Saul MD Professor and Director of the Stanford Epilepsy Center
For DRE, various neuromodulation therapies represent key treatment options. This session aims to help physicians become aware of the most current data and the evolving role of neuromodulation therapies as the treatment of DRE has advanced.
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Neuromodulation for Drug-Refractory Epilepsy and Chronic Heart Failure: Targets, Delivery, Composition and Titration
Presenter: James Udelson, MD, Chief of Cardiology, The CardioVascular Center at Tufts Medical Center, Boston
This session will compare and contrast how VNS Therapy is utilized to treat epilepsy and chronic heart failure (CHF). For CHF, VNS Therapy is meant to improve symptoms, function and quality of life, and to reduce the risk of cardiac death or hospitalization for heart failure.
“We continue to learn together to expand our understanding of the efficacy and role of neurostimulation and VNS Therapy in treating drug-resistant epilepsy, with new horizons in treating heart failure,” said Dr. Lam.
In addition to the symposium, LivaNova will present the following posters at AES2020:
- “Vagal Nerve Stimulation in genetic developmental epileptic encephalopathies (DEE): approach in highly specialized centers around the world”
- “CORE-VNS: A Prospective Outcomes Registry of Patients with Drug-Resistant Epilepsy Treated with Vagus Nerve Stimulation Therapy”
- “A Journey into the Unknown: An Ethnographic Examination of Epilepsy Treatment Management in the United States”
Opinions presented during this Industry-Sponsored Satellite Educational Activity are those of the speakers and/or the sponsor and/or the accredited provider of continuing medical education, and are not a reflection of American Epilepsy Society opinions, nor are they supported, sponsored or endorsed by the American Epilepsy Society. Interested parties may register for the event here.
About VNS Therapy for Epilepsy
VNS Therapy is clinically proven safe and effective for the treatment of drug-resistant epilepsy for adults and children 4 years of age and older. 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. VNS Therapy has not been evaluated by FDA for use in SRSE or LGS patients specifically. For more information, visit VNSTherapy.com.
INTENDED USE/INDICATIONS – UNITED STATES
Epilepsy—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. Commonly reported side effects are hoarseness, shortness of breath, sore throat and coughing. Side effects typically occur during stimulation and decrease over time. See full safety information at VNSTherapy.com/safety.
About LivaNova
LivaNova PLC is a global medical technology and innovation company built on nearly five decades of experience and a relentless commitment to provide hope for patients and their families through innovative medical technologies, delivering life-changing improvements for both the Head and Heart. Headquartered in London, LivaNova employs approximately 4,000 employees and has a presence in more than 100 countries for the benefit of patients, healthcare professionals and healthcare systems worldwide. For more information, please visit www.livanova.com.
Safe Harbor Statement
This news release contains “forward-looking statements” concerning our goals, beliefs, expectations, strategies, objectives, plans and underlying assumptions and other statements that are not necessarily based on historical facts. These statements include, but are not limited to, upcoming events and presentations regarding the treatment of drug-resistant epilepsy and heart failure using VNS Therapy. Actual results may differ materially from those indicated in our forward-looking statements as a result of various factors, including those factors set forth in Item 1A of our Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2019, as supplemented by any risk factors contained in our Quarterly Reports on Form 10-Q and our Current Reports on Form 8-K. We undertake no obligation to update the information contained in this press release to reflect subsequently occurring events or circumstances.
References and notes
1 Chen Z, et al. JAMA Neurol. 2018;75:279–86.
2 Dr. Sen is speaking in a personal capacity and not as an academic of the University of Oxford or NICE.
