New Scientist – The US Food and Drug Administration has approved a vagus nerve stimulator for rheumatoid arthritis – the first such device to be cleared for an autoimmune condition, potentially paving the way for broader uses.
The pill-sized device is surgically implanted along the vagus nerve – a bundle of nerve fibres connecting the brain to most vital organs – in the side of the neck.
For up to a decade, it then automatically delivers electrical pulses that stimulate the nerve and reduce inflammation.
Rheumatoid arthritis is usually treated with powerful anti-inflammatory drugs that suppress the immune system, raising the risk of infections and cancer.
Nearly three-quarters of people with rheumatoid arthritis are unhappy with current treatments and many stop taking them due to side effects.
In a clinical trial of 242 people with moderate to severe rheumatoid arthritis, about 35 per cent of those who received vagus nerve stimulation for 12 weeks saw at least a 20 per cent reduction in symptoms …
