Each week on 5 Minute Salute our host Chris Budihas talks to veterans making a difference in their communities. Today, Chris has the honor to speak with Eric Bohlen of eNeura.
Short company description:
eNeura launched the first and only portable, handheld Transcranial Magnetic Stimulation patient Central Neuromodulation device, SAVI Dual Migraine Therapy. A ‘smart’ therapy clinically proven to stop migraine pain and prevent attacks by treating the source of migraine headaches with painless magnetic pulses. Thus, treating the underlying neural dysfunction believed to be contributing to migraine headaches.
How do you define success?:
As with most veterans, I believe success is achieved when the mission is complete and exceeds expectations set forth. Whether that’s a particular sales metric, overcoming an obstacle, or delivering on the promises made. Success is ultimately being able to look upon your work with a sense of accomplishment and pride knowing that you delivered for those who rely on you to succeed.
How did you get started in your field or work?: Entry level pharmaceutical sales after separation from active duty. Able to leverage Biology degree from college.
What’s one thing we should know that makes your company unique?:
There are a variety of neuromodulation devices available to veterans and patients who either prefer a non-pharmacological treatment option, unable to tolerate medication, or non-responders to traditional drug treatments. Patients are familiar with peripheral neuromodulation for pain and/or migraine as a device capable of alleviating the symptoms delivering pain relief. These tend to be electrostimulation devices that work on the ‘periphery’ of the source of pain/migraine.
Transcranial Magnetic Stimulation (TMS) utilizes magnetic energy rather than electrical. SAVI Dual, by eNeura, is the only FDA cleared central neuromodulation therapy developed to treat acute attacks and prevent future migraine days. This patented dual migraine therapy directly targets and signals the brain to quiet the hyperactive nerves thought to be the source of migraine.
If you have ever had an MRI you are familiar with the science and safety behind SAVI Dual. With a remarkable leap of innovation, SAVI Dual now allows you to use this ingenious technology for migraine therapy at home.
SAVI Dual delivers single low frequency electromagnetic fields that pass painlessly through bone and tissue. These non-invasive pulses signal the brain to calm hyperactive nerves and return to a natural state. This is often referred to as Single Pulse Transcranial Magnetic Stimulation (STMS).
In the past, TMS therapies were limited to 30-45 minute sessions in a specialty clinic. 5 times a week for upwards of 6 weeks at a time. SAVI Dual offers this same treatment modality in the convenience of a personal neuromodulation device that the patient can carry with them for whenever needed. In fact, patients are encouraged to treat themselves early and often since the cumulative effect of magnetic pulses drives better outcomes.
eNeura’s founder determined that such a device was needed based on the years of clinical benefit seen in countless clinical studies with large TMS machines confined to clinic settings. The ability to invent, manufacture, and deliver such a device is superseded only by the foresight of involving the Veterans Affairs Headache Centers of Excellence in clinical evaluations with a significantly impacted Veteran population who suffers migraine at a significantly higher rate than the general public.
eNeura understands that addressing the underlying neural dysfunction, at the source, can offer patients a more comprehensive and long-term treatment option that doesn’t simply alleviate the symptoms from a migraine.
What was the biggest obstacle you had to overcome in your business?:
Differentiation. When introducing a novel therapy, of which few are familiar with (TMS therapy), there is an inclination to classify a ‘device’ as no different than existing electrostimulation devices currently on the market.
The challenge is differentiating not only what Transcranial Magnetic Stimulation (TMS) is, but the differences between a Peripheral Neuromodulator and a Central Neuromodulator.
Some patients and providers may be aware of Transcranial Magnetic Stimulation (TMS) and uses in clinical settings for depression, OCD, etc., but others will find the science of TMS completely new and need a primer on the mechanism of action of magnetic pulses as a form of therapy. Determining their understanding will determine how to introduce the novel solution.
Additionally, other patients and providers may need an overview of why a peripheral neuromodulator differs from a central neuromodulator. And how both target different areas of the disease. Very similar to how 2 different classes of medication can still treat the same disease state and used in conjunction.
However, these obstacles invite fantastic learning opportunities and open communication. Understanding the unique challenges that both patients and providers face, and solutions needed, opens up more broad discussions about unique non-pharmacological treatment options beyond simply neuromodulation devices: acupuncture, VR Therapy, Hyperbaric Oxygen, etc. The veteran patient, in particular, is actively seeking these solutions and highly encouraging to see the evolution of care within the VA over the years.
View original post: 5 Minute Salute with Eric Bohlen of eNeura on Daily News Network.
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