Vagus Nerve Stimulation as a Treatment for Depression to be Launched in May


Final FDA approval of vagus nerve stimulation as a therapy for chronic or recurrent treatment-resistant depression to be issued in May. Psychiatrists will then officially be able to prescribe this remarkable, life changing therapy for patients.

On April 7th, 2005, the manufacturer of the vagus nerve stimulator( Cyberonics, Inc.) announced that it had been notified by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration(FDA) that one the few remaining conditions of final FDA approval had been satisfied. Cyberonics also announced that it was very confident that the two remaining conditions will be expeditously satisfied and that final FDA approval will be issued in May.

Robert P. ("Skip") Cummins, Cyberonics' Chairman of the Board and Chief Executive Officer commented: "This major step forward towards the accomplishment of Cyberonics' mission to improve the lives of people touched by refractory epilepsy and treatment-resistant depression (TRD) would not have been possible without the timely, diligent, interactive and cooperative efforts of the entire Dallas District Office staff led by Michael Chappell, District Director, and the Cyberonics regulatory team. Cyberonics and CDRH continue to make good progress towards our goal of satisfying the remaining conditions of final TRD approval."

The official launch of vagus nerve stimulation as a treatment for depression will take place at the American Psychiatric Association's Annual Meeting at the World Congress Center in Atlanta from May 21st to May 25th. The Annual Meeting will be attended by over 20,000 psychiatrists.

Major depressive disorder is one of the most prevalent and serious illnesses in the U.S., affecting nearly 19 million Americans every year. Depression is the second leading cause of disability for the general population and the leading cause of disability for American women. Approximately 20 percent of depressed Americans, or approximately four million people, experience chronic or recurrent treatment-resistant depression that has failed to respond to multiple antidepressant treatments. If approved, the VNS Therapy System will be the first implantable device-based treatment for depression and the first treatment developed, studied and labeled specifically for patients with treatment-resistant depression.

Vagus nerve stimulation will be the mainstream treatment for chronic or treatment-resistant depression. Over four million American suffer from chronic depression. The final FDA approval will be considered one of the major breakthroughs in medical device history.

You can learn more at http://www.VagusNerveStimulator.com. There is a free electronic newsletter to keep you up-to-date.

Charles Donovan was a patient in the FDA investigational trial of vagus nerve stimulation as a treatment for chronic or recurrent treatment-resistant depression. He was implanted with the vagus nerve stimulator in April of 2001. He chronicles his journey from the grips of depression thanks to vagus nerve stimulation therapy in his book:

Out of the Black Hole: The Patient's Guide to Vagus Nerve Stimulation and Depression

The book will be exhibited at the American Psychiatric Association's Annual Meeting in May.

He is editor the http://www.VagusNerveStimulator.com Web Site

More Resources

Unable to open RSS Feed $XMLfilename with error HTTP ERROR: 404, exiting

More Depression Information:

Related Articles

Major Depression and Manic Depression - Any Difference?
Countless number of patients and their family members have asked me about manic-depression and major depression. "Is there any difference?" "Are they one and the same?" "Is the treatment the same?" And so on.
Depression Keeps 19 Million Adults From Being Productive
Approximately 19 million American adult workers allow depression to limit their productivity. According to the American Medical Women's Association, this includes 5 million women, many of whom will quit or loss their jobs directly due to the depression.
Depression
Many of us feel depressed at one time or another, but for some, depression may be chronic and even debilitating.Emotions are a normal part of our life.
25% of Americans Suffer From a Mental Illness and do Not Get Adequate Relief From Antidepressants
According to the June 7th issue of the Wall Street Journal, more Americans are seeking treatment for mental illnesses than ever before, but most of them fail to get adequate care, according to a major new government study.In the once-a-decade report funded by the National Institutes of Health(NIH), researchers found that one-quarter of Americans had a psychiatric disorder in the year prior to the survey, and 40% of them sought treatment, up from just 25% who sought treatment in the previous report a decade ago.
Quick Steps To Reduce Your Worries
Looking for a way to reduce the amount of worrying you do?Edward W. Smith, motivational speaker, author and TV show host, who specializes in quick tips on how to move your life ahead even faster, offers the following advice.
5 Super Effective Tips To Kill Depression
Being lonely is a normal part of our everyday lives. We get sad when we fail in our exams, when we're rejected by the person we love, or when someone very close to us passes away.
Are You Someones Puppet? Four Ways People Manipulate Others
With the current interest in mental health topics, a mentalhealth language has emerged with words such asmanipulation, boundaries, limits, rescuing, dependence, andcodependence. Many people are unclear what these words meanwhen applied to relationships.
Acidity Depresses Thyriod Function
THE RISKAccumulation of acids in your body, due to insufficient digestion of food, food allergies and consumption of acid-forming substances, can depress thyroid function. Acid-related causes of hypothyroidism also include exposure to heavy metals and toxic chemicals in the water supply and in highly processed food.
Depression is the Number One Cause of Disability in the United States
According to the World Health Organization, 4 of the 10 leading causes of disability in the United States and other developed countries are mental disorders, including major depression, bipolar disorder, and schizophrenia. Approximately 23% of American adults each year have a diagnosable mental disorder and as many as 5.
Your Daily Struggle With Depression
If you have been diagnosed with depression or feel that you are dealing with depression on a daily basis, you may feel that depression is consuming your life. You worry about everything.
Seven Steps to Good Mental Health
Psychological well-being is something that we all have a right to. However, for a variety of reasons to do with upbringing, life experiences, physiology, environment and so on? we often find ourselves with a mind-state other than what we desire.
I Love You, I Hate You But Dont Go: Understanding Borderline Personality Disorder
It amazes me that 6-10 million Americans have been diagnosed with this isolating disorder. What's amazing about this is that not much is written about BPD much less talked about.
Psychiatrist Begin Training About Vagus Nerve Stimulation for Depression
The manufacturer of the vagus nerve stimulator has begun face-to face meetings with psychiatrists nationwide to educate them about vagus nerve stimulation therapy, how it works and for whom this treatment is indicated. It is very important that both you and your psychiatrist fully understand vagus nerve stimulation therapy so that you can make an informed decision together about this ninety-minute out-patient implant procedure.
Depression: Based on a True Story
"Ring, ring." The crisis operator answers the phone to a woman pleading to let her daughter know that she loves her.
Wellbutrin For Depression: When Its More Than Just The Blues
We all have blue days:We're missing someone we've lost, the expected promotion didn't come through, we've exhausted ourselves over the holidays. But when these feelings continue for a long time and begin to interfere in your life, you may have an illness that doctors call major depressive disorder (or depression).
FDA Nears Completion of Review of Vagus Nerve Stimulation For Chronic Depression
On June 2 at 8:00 pm ET, Reuters news service issued a press release announcing that the FDA have nearly completed final review of the conditions outlined in the February "deemed approvable" letter for VNS Therapy as a treatment for chronic depression. Cyberonics Inc.
Are you suffering from Depression?
Millions of people sufferaround the world from a depressive illness. They think that depression is just a normal occurrence in their lives, which will go away after a short while.
Can You Overcome Depression?
There are many things that happen within the body when depression occurs. It is not only a feeling, but a disease that is often caused by an imbalance of chemicals within the brain.
Recognizing Depression
Depression is a serious issue. There are simply hundreds of thousands of people who deal with depression on a daily basis.
So You've Been Diagnosed with Bipolar Disorder?
If you've been diagnosed with bipolar disorder (also known as manic depression) you are not alone. It has been estimated that over 2 million people in the United States suffer from this form of mental illness which involves episodes of both mania and depression.