New Device FDA-Approved to Treat Migraines

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has recently approved a new electronic device that could help treat migraines. Shaped like a headband, the nerve-stimulating product could be available to certain patients who are unable to tolerate migraine medications.

"Cefaly provides an alternative to medication for migraine prevention," said Christy Foreman, director of the Office of Device Evaluation at the FDA's Center for Devices and Radiological Health according to the agency's news release. "This may help patients who cannot tolerate current migraine medications for preventing migraines or treating attacks."

The FDA approved device-known as Cefaly-is battery operated and allegedly helps patients stop migraine attacks, along with frequency of migraines.

In a study of 67 individuals, findings showed that patients who used the device reported fewer migraines than those who used a placebo product.

A separate study, asking if 2,313 patients would buy the device in the future, showed that 53 percent of them reported satisfaction with the product.  

This plastic headband is worn on the head above the ears and works through the stimulation of nerves tied to migraine pain by emitting a low electrical current. The band also uses adhesive electrodes that help emit the current, in which the patient may feel a tingling sensation. However, STX-Med in Herstal, Liege, Belgium, the creators of the device, note that it can only be used for 20 minutes a day by those 18 and up.

The National Institute of health (NIH) estimates that approximately 10 percent of the world's population suffers from migraines-often categorized as an intense pulsing or throbbing pain located in a particular area of the head.

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