Over the last decade, the field of neuromodulation has gained wide acceptance due to its numerous non-invasive and implantable technologies. Neuromodulation is a medical procedure that uses electrical stimulation to treat various movement disorders such as Parkinson’s disease, dystonia, tremors, tics associated with Tourette syndrome, obsessive-compulsive disorder, depression, and spinal cord injury, among others. The goal of neuromodulation treatment is long-term activation, inhibition, modification, and regulation of neural activity using electrical, electromagnetic, and optogenetic techniques to treat the nervous system.

While oral medication and ablative neurosurgical procedures provided similar therapeutic outcomes, neuromodulation has the advantage of higher spatiotemporal precision. With recent breakthroughs in the field, there is significant impetus to refine existing technologies and develop new approaches to modulate the nervous system for treatments of memory disorders, schizophrenia, traumatic brain injuries, addiction, eating disorders, and hyperacusis. However, the current focus is to produce higher-quality evidence of efficacy and reduce the cost of neuromodulation treatments as healthcare systems increasingly find it difficult to juggle the conflicting obligations.

At Abbott, experts aim to challenge this trend with its portfolio of life-changing technologies spanning the spectrum of healthcare, leading businesses and products in diagnostics, medical devices, nutritional, and branded generic medicines. The healthcare giant is working around the clock with over 113,000 colleagues serving people in more than 160 countries to manage the symptoms and reduce the physical and emotional toll of chronic pain and movement disorders like Parkinson’s disease and essential tremors. Its mission is to empower patients to live their best life by building state-of-the-art and life-changing healthcare technologies. “From connecting patients to doctors with real-time information monitoring their hearts to testing half the world’s blood donations, our purpose is technologies to the people who need them,” - Robert Ford, CEO of Abbott.

Effective Therapy without Compromise

Having control in simple everyday activities such as pouring coffee, buttoning shirts, or brushing teeth can rely on a complex interaction between your brain, spinal cord, nerves, and muscles, which can be seriously affected by movement disorders like Parkinson’s disease essential tremor. Abbott’s industry-leading expertise and therapies enable patients suffering from movement disorders, such as Parkinson’s disease and essential tremors to regain control of movements in day-to-day life while reducing healthcare costs and reliance on pain medication. Its therapies for movement disorders are designed to provide greater independence and control by delivering effective symptom management. “We partner with global healthcare providers to develop and deliver therapies that demonstrate to be safe and effective through extensive research and real-world results,” - Robert Ford.

To help patients control their Parkinson’s disease or essential tremor symptoms, Abbott offers its Infinity DBS therapy, a safe and effective, delivering relief that medication alone may not be able to achieve. The Infinity DBS System comprises a pulse generator and thin wires called leads, all of which are implanted in a patient’s body. Its pulse generator communicates with the brain through the leads, shutting off the signals that cause involuntary muscle movement. Unlike previous DBS leads that send stimulation out in all directions, like a lamp, the directional lead is segmented. This directional lead provides multiple programming options to precisely target therapy and enables doctors to precisely target the areas of the brain associated with involuntary movements. In addition, the precision of the stimulation stabilizes the part of the brain’s signals that cause involuntary movements, helping to reduce symptoms and providing options to potentially limit undesirable side effects that can result from stimulating areas outside the intended target. The Infinity DBS therapy is designed to be discreet and easy to manage. Patients can manage their therapy through an Apple mobile digital device app, as simple as checking an email or sending a text message. Abbott offers its Infinity DBS therapy with the smallest recharge-free DBS battery on the market and offers users the ability to upgrade without undergoing surgery. Furthermore, users will also receive software upgrades easily and painlessly — similar to how cell phone software upgrades are done.

A Legacy of Nurturing Human Health

Since its establishment in 1888 by Dr. Wallace C. Abbott, the company has been committed to making technological breakthroughs and discoveries in healthcare to improve the lives of people around the world. Dr. Abbott led his company with a spirit of entrepreneurship, innovation, and caring that lives on in the company culture to this day. More than a hundred years later, Abbott continues to be passionately dedicated to fulfilling its founder’s promise, whose belief in nurturing human potential was the inspiration behind the company he founded and continues to be what drives its pursuit of helping people achieve their best health at every stage of life. It continues to focus on applying its extensive experience and in-depth knowledge to create ground-breaking products in diagnostics, medical devices, nutrition, and branded generic pharmaceuticals that help communities lead healthier lives, full of unlimited possibilities. Today, with 109,000 employees in more than 160 countries working to make a lasting impact on health, Abbott has extended its commitment to the people with a growing neuromodulation portfolio for chronic pain and movement disorders. “Currently, Abbott Neuromodulation has 21 principal operating and manufacturing facilities spanning four continents, with additional sales and distribution offices worldwide,”- Robert Ford.