The US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has approved the Abbott Proclaim XR spinal cord stimulation (SCS) system to treat painful diabetic peripheral neuropathy (DPN), a debilitating complication of diabetes. The Proclaim XR SCS system can provide relief to DPN patients in need of alternatives to traditional treatment approaches, such as oral medication. People who receive therapy from the Proclaim XR SCS system will also be able to use Abbott’s NeuroSphere Virtual Clinic, a connected care app that allows people to communicate with a physician and receive treatment adjustments remotely.
Roughly 34.2 million Americans, or 10.5% of the United States population, have diabetes. Diabetic neuropathy, one of the complications of diabetes, is a type of damage seen predominately in nerves running to the feet. During their lifetime, approximately 50% of adults with diabetes will develop diabetic peripheral neuropathy, which may include symptoms such as pain and numbness in the legs, feet, and hands.
Currently, there are no disease modifying treatments for DPN, only symptom management and behavioral modifications to mitigate further nerve damage that can result from high blood sugar (glucose) levels. Spinal cord stimulation is a non-opioid approach that has been used for more than 50 years to help manage chronic pain and is proven to be more effective than conventional medical management in the treatment of this type of chronic pain.
Approved for the treatment of chronic pain in 2019, the Proclaim XR SCS system now offers DPN patients relief from chronic pain by delivering low amounts, or doses, of stimulation. Unlike other SCS systems that require frequent charging sessions to maintain therapy, the Proclaim XR SCS system provides recharge-free pain relief with a battery that lasts up to 10 years at low-dose settings. People experiencing DPN can engage with their healthcare provider to be referred to a pain management specialist or spine surgeon to discuss the details of this treatment to determine the best course of care.
“Diabetic peripheral neuropathy has long plagued people affected by type 1 and type 2 diabetes, often adding another area of disease management on top of their ongoing monitoring of their glucose levels to manage this challenging disease,” says Jason E. Pope, MD, DABPM, FIPP, president of Evolve Restorative Center in Santa Rosa, Calif. “Abbott’s Proclaim XR spinal cord stimulation system provides patients with painful diabetic peripheral neuropathy the opportunity to obtain a better quality of life while more seamlessly fitting into their current lifestyles.”
Following a successful minimally invasive trial and undergoing an implant with the Proclaim XR SCS device, patients will have the ability to control their therapy through an Apple device. The device can also be programmed using the company’s proprietary NeuroSphere Virtual Clinic technology, a first-of-its-kind remote patient care technology in the United States that allows users to communicate with physicians, ensure proper settings and functionality, and receive new treatment settings/adjustments remotely, as needed.
“As a leader in diabetes care, Abbott is intimately familiar with the challenges people with diabetes encounter daily,” says Pedro Malha, vice president, neuromodulation, Abbott. “This new indication for Proclaim XR will drive meaningful change in the treatment of pain associated with diabetic peripheral neuropathy and will be an important tool for physicians and patients in managing this debilitating condition.”
