Revolutionising migraine treatments, we spoke to Ronen Jashek from Israeli bio-tech company Theranica about how Nerivio could be your next lifesaver.
The founders of Theranica met while working at an electrical engineering company, working on semiconductor chips in mobile phones. When their project came to an end, with the encouragement of global leading migraine specialist Professor David Yarnitsky, they decided to use their expertise to tackle the world’s leading cause of disability, migraines. COO Ronen Jashek, tells us about the non-invasive migraine device, Nerivio.
Hello Ronen! So how does Nerivio work to combat migraines?
Hi! So, the Nerivio wraps around the upper arm and uses the technology we developed called Remote Electrical Neuromodulation to activate nociceptive nerve fibres in the arm to send signals to the brain which trigger a mechanism in the brain called conditioned pain modulation. Conditioned pain modulation is a very strong, pain inhibition mechanism in the part of the pain regulation centre in the brainstem, by externally stimulating this we can turn off migraine pain and other symptoms without medication.
In simple terms, the upper arm is stimulated to unleash a natural process in the brain to relieve migraine headache and other associated symptoms. Each treatment is controlled by a smartphone app and is self- administered lasting 45 minutes every other day for prevention, or it can be used at the start of a migraine attack to ease the pain.
What does the device feel like to use?
I would describe the sensation as close to something like a tingling on your skin, like you have little ants walking on your arm. The device doesn’t apply pressure or break the skin, it just applies electrical stimulation, or neuro modulation as we call it. Obviously beyond a certain level, it can be painful, but the patient can control the intensity level themselves on the app. What we tell patients is: “Increase the intensity up to the point that it starts feeling a little bit uncomfortable and then just take it down a notch or two.” We’ve found after more than almost half a million treatments in the US, that these simple instructions are very effective.
And what’s good about the app working with the device is that everything that the patient does inside the app is logged and recorded automatically into a migraine diary. Migraine is a very complex disease which has many triggers, patients are often asked to diarise their migraines so their doctor can monitor their triggers, and the app does this. We ask the patients questions and record their treatment sessions, which, once you start using the product regularly, will start to build your own migraine diary which you can share with a doctor with a click of a button.
When will the Nerivio be available in the UK?
I can tell you that we are now very close to launching in Europe. Definitely in 2024, and the UK will be a part of that launch. How the product will be accessible is dependent on our partners but there’s a good chance that it will follow the steps of the US release.
In the US Nerivio tends to be prescribed but depending on the local authorities and regulation, it may also be available over the counter. You can go either to your physician and tell them that you want it, or, through telemedicine or telehealth which is becoming more popular. So, a patient can go online, get a consultation, and after about 20 minutes, they can get their prescription and the device is shipped to their home.
For more information click Theranica.com
