New Year’s resolutions are hard to keep, as most of us know through experience. It’s difficult to stick with healthy new habits and, for most people, even tougher to break bad habits. Taking the conversation to the extreme, kicking an addiction to opioids can be a gruesome experience. Forget about staying clean for months or years, the pain of withdrawal dissuades many addicts from even trying to quit. Recent good news on that front comes from the FDA, which gave clearance to Innovative Health Solution’s NSS-2 Bridge to help with opioid addiction withdrawal.
We wrote about the NSS-2 Bridge in December 2016. At that time the neurostimulation device was cleared for use with acupuncture for pain reduction but not opioid withdrawal pain. A patient wears the Bridge behind the ear like a hearing aid and attaches four small wired leads to specific spots in the outer ear. Classified as a percutaneous nerve field stimulator (PNFS) device system, the Bridge blocks pain sensation by stimulating branches of cranial nerves V, VII, IX, and X and branches of the occipital nerves. In research tests, addiction centers in Indiana and Kentucky reported success using the Bridge. With FDA clearance, physicians can now write prescriptions for patients in withdrawal.
Previously we noted other technologies focused on opioid addiction treatment including implants, an ingestible monitor, a coalition of public and private tech development organizations, and more. The NSS-2 Bridge clearance gives physicians and clinics another technology to employ in the fight against opioid addiction.
