The Israeli company Theranica Bio-Electronics has developed the first smartphone-controlled wearable device that treats acute migraines without drugs. The device was named one of Time Magazine‘s best inventions of 2019 and was honored as one of CB Insight’s Game Changers for 2020.
The gadget, called Nerivio, looks like an armband used to take blood pressure and is placed on the upper arm upon the onset of a migraine attack. Through a smartphone app “electronic pulses are sent wirelessly to stimulate a conditioned pain modulation response to mitigate pain and keep track of migraine episodes,” according to Theranica.
The patient can control the intensity of the treatment through a user-friendly app to adjust intensity and ensure it is not painful. This allows for personalized treatments.
Nerivio has received FDA approval and is available in the US, providing a novel alternative to pharmacological treatments, which often come with unpleasant side effects.
The app also keeps a diary for tracking treatment sessions and attacks. This information can be shared with healthcare professionals to improve migraine management.
According to the company’s website, pain can be significantly reduced if treatment is initiated within one hour of migraine onset.
The app was tested on 296 participants who had 2–8 migraines per month, according to Theranica’s website. Some were treated actively and others received placebo stimulation. At two hours post-treatment, active stimulation was significantly more effective than placebo stimulation in reducing headache pain (66.7 percent vs. 38.8 percent). It completely relieved headaches in 37.4 percent of those who received active treatment.
The company, founded in 2016, combines “advanced neuromodulation therapy with modern wireless technology to develop proprietary electroceuticals that address prevalent medical conditions and diseases.”
