People stricken with COVID-19 exhibit a wide range of symptoms. Some are barely affected while others suffer dire consequences. People with asthma are in particular danger, as SARS-CoV-2 is a respiratory virus that can make breathing even more difficult. Now, the FDA has issued an Emergency Use Authorization for the gammaCore Sapphire CV non-invasive vagus nerve stimulator (nVNS) to help adult asthmatics with COVID-19 (or those suspected of being infected) overcome difficulties breathing when drugs are not appropriate or are insufficient.
The gammaCore stimulator has been approved as a treatment option for migraines and cluster headaches (see flashbacks below), but it was initially researched as a way for treating reactive airway diseases such as asthma. The new Emergency Use Authorization, in a way, validates that research. “Results from prior pilot studies that evaluated gammaCore for the acute treatment of asthma support our belief that nVNS may provide much needed relief to patients who are experiencing asthma-related breathing difficulty, which can be particularly debilitating in patients with COVID-19,” said Peter Staats, MD, Chief Medical Officer of electroCore. Potentially this may lead to the vagus nerve stimulator being used more widely for asthma and other reactive airway diseases.
Flashbacks: Transcutaneous Vagal Nerve Stimulation, for Airway Diseases and Migraines; Vagus Nerve Stimulation for the Masses: Interview with electroCore CEO J.P. Errico; gammaCore Personal Non-Invasive VNS Cleared for Episodic Cluster Headaches; gammaCore Sapphire Helps Control Migraines and Cluster Headaches: Now Available in U.S.
Product page: gammaCore…
Via: electroCore