St. Jude's DBS Study Data Impresses - Analyst Blog
January 13 2012 - 10:22AM
Zacks
St. Jude Medical (STJ), one of
the top-tier medical devices companies, has announced positive
results from the first controlled study of its deep brain
stimulation (“DBS”) systems geared for the treatment of Parkinson’s
disease. The data, published in The Lancet Neurology journal,
confirmed the benefits of the company’s DBS constant current
systems in patients with this debilitating condition.
DBS therapy is used to treat the symptoms of Parkinson’s
disease, a neurological disorder that gradually reduces a person's
control over movements and speech. Roughly 6.3 million people
globally are afflicted by this disease. According to the National
Parkinson Foundation, Parkinson’s disease affects over 1 million
people in the U.S.
DBS uses mild electrical pulses from a neurostimulator (an
implanted device) to stimulate specific targets in the brain. The
U.S. market for DBS systems is estimated to reach roughly $1.4
billion by 2012.
The goal of the controlled study was to assess St. Jude’s Libra
and LibraXP DBS constant current systems to determine their safety
and effectiveness in managing the symptoms of Parkinson’s disease.
These neurostimulators are currently approved for use in Europe,
Latin America and Australia for managing the symptoms of
Parkinson’s disease.
The trial, which enrolled 136 patients and was conducted at 15
centers across the U.S., was designed to compare patients implanted
with DBS systems with those without stimulation. The published
results demonstrated statistically significant increases in symptom
control and improved quality of life. Moreover, there was a
statistically significant decline in the amount of medications
needed to manage disease symptoms in the patients receiving
stimulation compared to the group without stimulation.
St. Jude’s Neuromodulation division, which was formed through
its acquisition of Advanced Neuromodulation Systems in November
2005, offers various neurostimulation systems. The company is one
of the three major manufacturers of neurostimulation devices along
with Medtronic (MDT) and Boston
Scientific (BSX).
Neuromodulation represents a lucrative platform for St. Jude,
which offers its spinal cord stimulators and DBS systems in this
nascent but fast-growing market. More than 75,000 patients across
40 countries have been implanted with the company’s
neurostimulation devices.
The neurostimulation market is growing at a healthy pace driven
by growth in age-related neurological conditions and significant
need for effective alternative therapies. This market is forecast
to grow 15% annually, offering a compelling opportunity for the
incumbent players.
We believe that growth in St. Jude’s Neuromodulation franchise
will be fostered by the adoption of DBS systems and sustained
uptake of the Eon Mini implantable neurostimulator. Currently, we
have a Neutral recommendation on the stock, which is supported by a
short-term Zacks #3 Rank (Hold).
BOSTON SCIENTIF (BSX): Free Stock Analysis Report
MEDTRONIC (MDT): Free Stock Analysis Report
ST JUDE MEDICAL (STJ): Free Stock Analysis Report
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