News & Updates

Soterix Medical Inc. announces Phase 3 Clinical Trial for Depression comparing tDCS-LTE against antidepressant drug (Escitalopram)

New York City – Oct 28, 2013

NEW YORK, Oct. 29, 2013 - Soterix Medical Inc. announces today a Phase 3 trial for Major Depressive Disorder (MDD) that will compare Soterix Medical’s Transcranial Direct Current Stimulation (tDCS) -Limited Total Energy (LTE) technology against a fully dosed, effective antidepressant Escitalopram oxalate (Lexapro®). The seminal ELECT-TDCS study initiated by Dr. Andre Brunoni of the University of Sao Paulo (cinausp.org) builds on prior work published in 2013 in JAMA Psychiatry. This work combined tDCS with antidepressant sertraline and concluded “in MDD, the combination of tDCS and sertraline increases the efficacy of each treatment. The efficacy and safety of tDCS and sertraline did not differ.” The initiated Phase 3 ELECT-TDCS study, with a target enrollment of 240 patients, aims to further assess if tDCS-LTE is similarly effective to antidepressant drug medication but with far fewer side-effects. For this trial, the Soterix Medical 1x1-Clinical Trials (CT) stimulator equipped with proprietary tDCS-LTE technology will provide optimized control of stimulation dose and double-blind study-control features calibrated specifically for the study. View the LTE paper here.

Dr. Abhishek Datta, CTO of Soterix Medical summarizes “The pivotal ELECT-TDCS neuromodulation study is noteworthy for both its scale and objective to compare with an established drug medication. Most tDCS clinical trials, including the separate ongoing multi-center trial on Depression using the Soterix Medical 1x1-CTplatform, evaluate tDCS as a stand-alone therapy. However, Soterix Medical also recognizes that tDCS may be applied in conjunction or as an alternative to drug medication. Indeed, many patients suffering from Major Depressive Disorders are insufficiently responsive to medication or suffer side-effects. The ELECT-TDCS study is designed by world leading clinical researchers to evaluate if Soterix Medical’s unique non-pharmacological treatment can be as effective as antidepressant drugs. The study will use Soterix Medical’s ground-breaking Transcranial Direct Current Stimulation Limited Total Energy (tDCS-LTE) and unique EASYstrap platform head-gear. The Soterix Medical tDCS-LTE platform is the only neuromodulation technology designed for robustness, practical scalability, and broad deployment.”

BACKGROUND:

tDCS- Limited Total Energy (tDCS-LTE)

is an exclusive neuromodulation technology developed by Soterix Medical Inc. Invented at The City College of New York, tDCS-LTE is the only tDCS technology platform optimized for robust low-energy Transcranial Direct Current Stimulation. tDCS-LTE is under investigation in susceptible populations including stroke, pediatric, traumatic brain injury, etc. tDCS-LTE is made possible through a proprietary adaptive stimulation limiting the voltage and power required for tDCS. Soterix Medical tDCS-LTE is the only non invasive neuromodulation technology further optimized for robust deployment in a wide variety of environments including emergency medicine, field-work, home-use, etc.

**Major Depressive Disorder ** or Major Depression is characterized by a combination of symptoms that interfere with a person's ability to work, sleep, study, eat, and enjoy once-pleasurable activities. Major Depression is disabling and prevents a person from functioning normally. Some people may experience only a single episode within their lifetime, but more often a person may have multiple episodes. Major Depression affects about 6.7% of the U.S. population over age 18, according to the National Institute of Mental Health. Overall, between 20% and 25% of adults may suffer an episode of Major Depression at some point during their lifetime.

See full press release here.

Media Contact:

Robin Azzam,
Tel: +1-888-990-8327

Email: contact@soterixmedical.com

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