‘Regulators who oversee Medicare said yesterday that they did not think it was reasonable or necessary to begin covering Cyberonics’ implanted electrical stimulator to treat severe depression in patients who had failed with other therapies.

The preliminary ruling, in response to a petition Cyberonics filed six months ago, sent the company’s shares down more than 11 percent in trading after the market closed. Earlier, they had risen 96 cents, to $22.55. Cyberonics said it was “extremely disappointed” and urged supporters of the therapy to respond to the agency during the 30-day comment period before a final ruling was issued.

Analysts who had predicted Medicare’s decision said that they expected layoffs at the company, which is based in Houston.’

Read more at Medicare Will Not Cover Nerve Device in Depression

Recent Entries

• One in five won’t work with depressed
• Hispanics have different depression rates
• Tai chi to help farmers fight depression
• Positive experiences ease MS depression
• Depression and Alzheimer’s Linked
• Insomnia may boost future depression risk
• Depression After Stroke Can Be Debilitating
• Antismoking Pill May Ease Depression … Or Cause Suicidal Thoughts
• Seasonal allergies could spark depression, fatigue
• Depression After a Heart Attack Dangerous for Years

This entry was posted on Monday, February 19th, 2007 at 5:47 am and is filed under Treatment of Depression. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. Both comments and pings are currently closed.