Saluda Medical Initiates U.S. Commercialization of the Evoke® Spinal Cord Stimulation System

Disruptive SmartSCS™ System Stands to Transform SCS Therapy

ARTARMON, Australia, Dec. 15, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- Saluda Medical Pty Limited ("Saluda Medical"), a global medical device company revolutionizing the field of neuromodulation, today announced it has initiated the commercialization of the Evoke^® System, the first and only SmartSCS™ in the United States. The U.S. launch of the Evoke System will be a limited commercial release (LCR) designed to expand patient access to this disruptive technology, prioritizing patient outcomes and providing advanced insights into this new electroceutical therapy. The Company plans to initiate a full commercial release (FCR) of the Evoke System in 2023, enabling access to more patients, clinics, and hospitals in the U.S.

The Evoke System is the first and only FDA-approved therapy with 24-month follow-up evidence from a double-blind randomized clinical study in SCS, demonstrating enduring pain relief and marked improvements in holistic patient outcomes that extend beyond pain relief, including quality of life, functional ability, mood, and sleep. At 24 months, the EVOKE Study showed zero explants due to loss of efficacy. The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) considered the Evoke System a "substantial clinical improvement" when it granted Evoke the Transitional Pass-Through Payment (TPT) effective January 1, 2023. Landmark 36-month evidence from the EVOKE Study will be presented in January at NANS 2023. 

The initiation of the Evoke LCR follows over ten years of advanced research and development in the utilization of ECAP insights and more than twenty studies to date demonstrating consistent long-term patient outcomes. The LCR will involve implanters from the pivotal PMA EVOKE Study and the ECAP Study.

"The Evoke System therapy stands to address the reported clinical efficacy challenges associated with existing fixed-output systems that have in the past limited broader adoption of SCS therapy. Through precise and consistent neural activation, the Evoke therapy is well-positioned to transform the SCS category by providing clinicians with objective and actionable neural insights where they previously relied on subjective patient feedback to titrate therapy," said Dr. Lawrence Poree, MD, PhD, Director of Neuromodulation at University of California, San Francisco-School of Medicine. 

"With current SCS modalities, we still do not completely understand the mechanism for pain relief with stimulation of the dorsal column or how the spinal cord responds to fixed-output stimulation. Thus, we are reliant on subjective, patient-reported outcomes to measure therapy efficacy," said Timothy Deer, MD, Chairman, American Society of Pain and Neuroscience, President and CEO, The Spine and Nerve Center of the Virginias, Clinical Professor of Anesthesiology and Pain Medicine, WVU School of Medicine. "I believe the Evoke System's ground-breaking, ECAP-controlled closed-loop therapy will create a new paradigm in spinal cord stimulation enabling customized, objective therapy for patients, clinicians, and payors. This is something that has never been seen before in neuromodulation."

"I have seen a substantial difference between the Evoke System and other SCS systems in my patients. The closed-loop technology is novel and unique, demonstrating objective measurements of efficacy and consistent, long-term multidimensional improvements for my patients," said Jason Pope, MD, DABPM, FIPP, Evolve Restorative Center. "The expected three-year follow-up data premiere from the EVOKE Study in early 2023 will be the first of its kind in the history of neuromodulation. Patients, physicians, and payors will appreciate seeing the sustained long-term efficacy of this device as seen in the RCT data."  

Saluda Medical is a global company transforming patients' lives with disruptive neural sensing technologies designed to revolutionize the field of neuromodulation. The company's first product, the Evoke ^® System, is the only ECAP-controlled closed-loop smart spinal cord stimulation (SCS) system and is indicated as an aid in the management of chronic intractable pain of the trunk and/or limbs, including unilateral or bilateral pain associated with failed back surgery syndrome, intractable low back pain, and leg pain. The Evoke System automatically reads, records, and responds to the nerves' response to stimulation 4+million times a day to provide continually optimized therapy and is proven to be superior to open-loop SCS for the treatment of overall trunk and/or limb pain. 12-month results from the EVOKE study, the first double-blind randomized controlled trial (RCT) used in support of Premarket Approval (PMA) in spinal cord stimulation history, were published in The Lancet Neurology and 24-month results have since been published in JAMA Neurology. Both publications are poised to set new clinical standards for long-term pain relief and improvements in physical and emotional functioning, sleep quality and health-related quality of life. Furthermore, there is promising data to show the Evoke System demonstrated a reduction in re-programming visits over time as well as an elimination of explants due to loss of efficacy in closed-loop patients out to 24-months – which are significant challenges with current SCS therapies. To learn more, including risks & important safety information, visit www.saludamedical.com/us/safety/.

Saluda Medical and Evoke are registered trademarks owned by Saluda Medical Pty Ltd.

Media Contact:
Stella Kim
+1 (651) 270-3084
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Investor Contact:
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Gilmartin Group
(332) 895-3222
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SOURCE Saluda Medical