Non-invasive OCD treatment approved in the US

An Israeli brain tech startup has receive FDA approval for its groundbreaking technology that aims to help patients suffering from obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD).

Technology is evolving the way in which medical professional treat patients. The most common methods of treatment were once pills and a form of therapy, but innovations provide an increasing number of alternatives to doctors. This is also ground breaking for patients who don’t always react to standard medication in a positive way. Technology entered the medical realm through various different applications. These include with virtual reality to cure acrophobia and as a home device to detect breast cancer.

Now, Israeli technology company BrainsWay has had its non-invasive OCD (obsessive-compulsive disorder) treatment approved in the US by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA). The treatment, named the first of its kind, hopes to bring a new era of treatment for neurological disorders. The innovation could also treat other illnesses, such as Major Depressive Disorder (MDD), which the FDA approved in 2013.

BrainsWay uses Deep Transcranial Magnetic Stimulation to treat OCD. The treatment performs magnetic stimulation of frontal brain structures and networks. An H7-coil enables non-invasive contact with previously unreachable areas of the brain. The creators of BrainsWay highlight the advantages over other OCD treatment options as being an outpatient procedure that is generally well tolerated and has minimal side effects. A study found that after six weeks of treatment, there was a statistically significant improvement for the active group. The improvement continued one month after the end of treatment at week ten of the trial. Of those taking part in the study, 38.1 percent of patients achieved a response of a more than 30 percent reduction in symptoms severity.