LivaNova (NSDQ:LIVN) today announced the publication of a new study that showed adding vagus nerve stimulation (VNS) therapy to treatment-as-usual significantly improves outcomes in patients with treatment-resistant bipolar depression (TRBD).
Published in the International Journal of Bipolar Disorders, the study examined patients from a 5-year prospective registry and found 63% of 97 patients treated with VNS plus treatment-as-usual had a significant reduction in depressive symptoms, as measured by a 50% or greater reduction in the Montgomery–Åsberg Depression Rating Scale (MADRS), compared with 39% of the 59 patients in the standard treatment alone group.
Patients who received adjunctive VNS therapy also responded more quickly and experienced more durable antidepressant effects. The study concluded that adjunctive VNS therapy is an efficacious antidepressant treatment for patients with treatment-resistant bipolar depression.
“Given the significant unmet…