Amaza Reitmeier, Medtronic’s VP and GM of Brain Modulation, discusses the company’s recent FDA approvals for asleep DBS and expanded MRI labeling, and provides an update on adaptive DBS in an interview with SmartTRAK. 

In an interview with SmartTRAK, Medtronic’s Amaza Reitmeier, vice president and general manager of Brain Modulation, discusses the company’s recent news in deep brain stimulation (DBS), including FDA approval for asleep DBS and MRI expanded labeling that allows patients to undergo additional scan time. She also provides an update on adaptive DBS (aDBS) and the ADAPT-PD trial, which is expected to support the global regulatory submissions to commercialize aDBS in patients with PD.  Medtronic recently filed for US FDA approval of aDBS.

Click on the following video to listen to the interview (14:32 minutes). A link to download a complete transcript of the interview is also provided below.
 

Interview Transcript

SmartTRAK: Hey everybody. Anne Staylor here with SmartTRAK. Today I get to talk to Amaza Reitmeier, the vice president and general manager of Brain Modulation at Medtronic. Hey Amaza, thanks for talking with me.

Amaza Reitmeier: Hi, Anne. Great to see you.

I know that you have some big news around DBS. You guys are advancing pretty quickly. The latest news involves FDA approval for asleep vs awake DBS, MRI expanded labeling, and then maybe you could give me an update on some other aspects of the adaptive DBS. So let's get started.

AR: Fantastic.

What is the significance? Talk a little bit about the FDA approval for asleep vs awake DBS, and why is that important? A lot of people are doing that. Just talk a little bit about the significance of that and what it means for Medtronic.

AR: Thank you, Anne. Well, first and foremost, you know from our prior conversations that we're very focused on the patient and making sure that patients have the best options available to them. While you're right that asleep DBS has been being done for years, it's actually been contraindicated in our labeling. The original labeling for DBS, which was established decades ago, required test stimulation to confirm that the therapy was working. But we also know that ...

Click the button below to download and read the full transcript of the SmartTRAK perspective article "Transforming DBS Therapy - An Interview with Amaza Reitmeier" conducted by Anne Staylor, SmartTRAK's Executive Editor and VP & GM of Neuro Therapies.

ASPN Chairman Tim Deer, MD, discusses the research and innovation at ASPN 2024 and the society’s collaborative approach to improving care for patients with chronic intractable pain in an interview with SmartTRAK.

Timothy R. Deer, MD, chairman of the American Society of Pain and Neuroscience (ASPN), discusses the society's goals, its rapid growth, and how ASPN is collaborating with different stakeholders to improve patient care and offer a wider range of new and innovative treatment options for patients with chronic intractable pain. To find out more, including what’s new in neuromodulation, minimally invasive spine and regenerative medicine, listen to the following video recorded live at the ASPN 2024 Annual Conference held July 11-14, 2024 in Miami Beach, FL. A link to download the complete transcript of the interview is also provided below. 

SmartTRAK: Anne Staylor here with SmartTRAK. I'm at the beautiful Fontainebleau Hotel in balmy Miami Beach, Florida at the American Society of Pain and Neuroscience Annual Conference. Today is the last day of the conference and I have the pleasure of talking with Dr. Tim Deer, the chairman of ASPN. Dr. Deer, thank you for talking with me today.

Dr. Tim Deer: Anne, thank you so much for having me. It's a great pleasure to talk to you and thank you for coming to our meeting.

Yes. Well, as you know, I think three years ago was the last time I was at your meeting, and I've had a colleague cover it who lives on the East Coast since then. Now I'm back covering the meeting and wow, has it grown exponentially since you and Dr. Sayed co-founded this meeting. I think this year, there's been a lot of energy and vibrancy around the content and in the exhibit hall and honestly, there's so much news for me to cover.

But before we get into the meeting, I thought it'd be a good idea to have you start by talking about the meeting itself, how it's grown, what the attendance has been this year, et cetera. And then what have been some of the key goals of society? And what have you and your vice chair, Dr. Sayed, been working toward as a society since you established the meeting?

INS President Dr. Marc Russo and INS President-Elect Dr. Konstantin Slavin discuss the current “state of the union” in neuromodulation, how the field is evolving and the challenges and opportunities that lie ahead in an interview with SmartTRAK at INS 2024.

At the 16th International Neuromodulation Society World Congress (INS 2024) held in Vancouver, Canada, Dr. Marc Russo, INS president, and Dr. Konstantin Slavin, INS president-elect, discussed the current “state of the union” in neuromodulation, how the field is evolving, where it’s going and trends in research, technology and clinical practice in an interview with SmartTRAK. They also discussed challenges and opportunities in the field, how the INS is addressing recent criticisms about neuromodulation and the promise and potential of neuromodulation across a wide range of clinical applications. 

To find out more, including the promising indications and areas of growth for spinal cord stimulation (SCS) and deep brain stimulation (DBS), click on the following video to listen to the interview recorded live at INS 2024 (51:53 min). Click hereto download a complete transcript of the interview. Topics by timecode are provided below. 

Medtronic executives discuss how the Company is making waves in interventional pain, minimally invasive spine and deep brain stimulation in an interview with SmartTRAK at NANS 2024.

Medtronic’s David Carr, vice president and general manager of Pain Interventions, and Amaza Reitmeier, vice president and general manager of Brain Modulation, discuss the Company’s latest news, research and innovation in an interview with SmartTRAK at the North American Neuromodulation Society (NANS) 2024 Annual Meeting held January 18-21 in Las Vegas, Nevada.

To find out more, including the Company’s priorities and vision for interventional pain, minimally invasive spine and deep brain stimulation, click on the following video to listen to the interview (32:30 min). Topics by timecode are provided below, and you can click the button to download a transcript of the interview.

Interview Topics by Timecode:

00:27 David Carr introduction and background. Overview of Medtronic’s top news at NANS and the importance of the Company’s broad portfolio of pain intervention solutions, including stimulation, targeted drug delivery and interventional spine. 

04:28 Overview of Medtronic’s presence at NANS regarding clinical and scientific research vs competitors. Highlights of clinical data from Australian ECAPs study to support the introduction of the Inceptiv Spinal Cord Stimulation (SCS) system, what’s next for Inceptiv and how Inceptiv differs from other ECAP-based SCS devices. Discussion of other research and evidence to support expanded indications and health economics. Company strategies for leveraging data to drive adoption, reimbursement and growth in non-surgical refractory back pain and diabetic painful neuropathy (DPN),

The North American Neuromodulation Society (NANS) is celebrating its 30^th anniversary in 2024 and is once again bringing together the leading clinicians, researchers and manufacturers to Caesar’s Palace in Las Vegas for the NANS 2024 Annual Meeting, to be held January 18-21. To get you up to speed before the meeting, SmartTRAK has put together highlights of recent neuromodulation news. The following is just a small sampling of recent Neuromodulation-related news and updates from around the world compiled, reviewed and posted in real-time every day by the expert analysts at SmartTRAK.

SmartTRAK will be attending NANS 2024 from January 18-21. If you'd like to meet with us in person, please reach out to Anne Staylor, SmartTRAK’s Executive Editor and VP & GM, Neuro Therapies, at anne.staylor@smarttrak.com, or just click the button below.

SmartTRAK’s survey of interventional pain physicians reveals valuable insights into current and future trends in interventional pain management and peripheral nerve stimulation (PNS)

SmartTRAK recently conducted a survey of 30 interventional pain physicians, including 18 doctors who perform PNS, to gain insight into the current state of interventional pain management and identify future trends in the field. This includes physician use of SCS, DRG Stimulation, short- and long-term PNS, RFA, TDD, Regenerative Medicine injections and MIS spine procedures, with an emphasis on PNS companies and technologies.

This comprehensive study sheds light on procedure trends, preferred treatment approaches, physicians' perspectives on PNS and more!

Key questions include:

• What interventional pain procedures are expected to grow the most in the next 12-24 months?
• What minimally invasive spine procedures do physicians think will increase the most in the next few years?
• What are expected procedure volumes for Regenerative Medicine injections?
• What are the most preferred treatment approaches for different chronic pain conditions?
• What are physicians' impressions of the different PNS technologies/brands?
• What are the top targets for PNS and what's driving and limiting physician adoption of PNS?
• What technology improvements do physicians want to see in PNS devices?

Click the button below if you are interested in purchasing SmartTRAK’s Interventional Pain Management and Peripheral Nerve Stimulation Survey. Be The Expert with the latest insights and trends in the field and equip yourself with valuable knowledge. Click Now!

Rebecca Wilkins, DVP R&D Neuromodulation for Abbott, discusses the Eterna SCS, strategies for penetrating the market for PDN, the latest initiatives for DBS and DRG and what’s next for the Company in an interview with SmartTRAK.

Rebecca Wilkins, Divisional Vice President, Research and Development, Neuromodulation at Abbott, discusses Eterna, the Company’s newest rechargeable spinal cord stimulator, strategies for penetrating the market for painful diabetic neuropathy (PDN), the latest initiatives in deep brain stimulation and what’s next in terms of research and innovation an interview with SmartTRAK. 

To find out more, listen to the interview by clicking on the following video (19:41 min). A link to download a complete transcript of the interview is also provided below...just click Continue Reading.

Saluda Medical President and CEO Jim Schuermann discusses the Company, the Evoke System and changing the game in SCS in an interview with SmartTRAK

With the US launch of the Evoke System, Saluda Medical is changing the game in spinal cord stimulation (SCS). At the North American Neuromodulation Society (NANS) Annual meeting in Las Vegas in January, researchers presented impressive 36-month data from the Company’s Evoke Study and the Company was showcasing its Evoke System for the first time on the NANS exhibit hall floor. As the first commercially available closed-loop SCS system using evoked compound action potentials (ECAPs), Evoke is unlike anything on the market. The technology automatically adjusts stimulation to maintain precise and consistent neural activation to the spinal cord for the treatment of intractable low back and leg pain. The Company received FDA PMA for Evoke in February 2022 and announced a limited US commercial release in December 2022, calling it the first and only ‘SmartSCS” in the US.

Saluda Medical President and CEO Jim Schuermann discusses bringing Evoke System to market, the Company’s US launch and commercialization plans, the newest generation of Evoke, his vision for the future and Evoke’s potential impact on the market in an interview with SmartTRAK. Click the button below to download and read a complete transcript of the interview.