Can an electronic patch reduce the pain of migraines?

It looks like a high-tech version of a nicotine patch, but Theranica Bio-Electronics’ wearable device has a different purpose: to knock out migraines… at least temporarily. Inside Theranica’s Neriva Migra patch are tiny electrodes that deliver a small electrical jolt to your body to mitigate headaches and other acute pains through what’s known as CPM (conditioned pain modulation).

CPM is a counterintuitive approach to pain management. The idea is that by introducing a secondary noxious stimulus (the electrical zaps from the patch), perception of the primary noxious stimulus — in Theranica’s case, migraines — can be reduced. Similar to a nicotine patch, you place the Neriva Migra device on your arm above the elbow. The device communicates wirelessly via Bluetooth with your smartphone, which regulates the electrical pulses and sets a timer. A 45-minute treatment can bring relief for pain within two hours. In Theranica’s clinical trials involving 252 patients across 12 sites in the US and Israel, “around two-thirds of patients got significant pain relief,” Theranica cofounder and chief operating officer Ronen Jashek tells ISRAEL21c. “More than 30 percent were pain free.” There’s one unavoidable hitch: The pain does come back eventually because this is not a cure, rather a treatment to deal with headaches at their worst. Theranica’s Neriva Migra device isn’t on the market yet – it’s currently being evaluated by the FDA and clearance is expected in a couple of months. Nor is the business model set, other than it will need a prescription. The cost is hoped to be equivalent to, or less than, common prescription drugs.-- More...