Helius presents the PoNS device at the CMSC meeting in Nashville

Helius Medical Technologies announced that it will have a booth at the multiple sclerosis (MS) meeting where it will be able to present its PoNS device and the progress it has made over the past year in providing access to the neuromodulation device, which aims to improving walking ability in people with multiple sclerosis.

The device will be on display at the 500th Annual Meeting of the Consortium of Multiple Sclerosis Centers (CMSC) May 29-June 1 at the Music City Center in Nashville.

The company said it will demonstrate how a portable neuromodulation stimulator can be used in conjunction with physical rehabilitation to improve gait in people with multiple sclerosis. The latest achievements aimed at facilitating patient access to PoNS will also be highlighted.

“From the beginning, our priority has been to provide PoNS to as many people with multiple sclerosis and gait disorders as possible,” said Dane Andreeff, CEO of Helius, in a company press release. “We have been actively meeting and negotiating with insurers and others with the goal of increasing accessibility even before PoNS became commercially available.”

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Reimbursement, government partnerships, and therapist training are key milestones

According to the company, one of the most important recent achievements was the assignment of Common Health Care Procedure Coding System codes covering PoNS by the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services, a significant achievement for Medicare reimbursement. The final decision on prices should be made in October.

Helius has also partnered with Lovell Government Services to make PoNS available through the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs, the U.S. Department of Defense and other federal health care systems.

The company said it has trained “critical mass physical therapists” across the country who develop tailored exercise regimens used alongside PoNS.

“Each of these achievements represents a victory in facilitating access to technology that makes a significant difference,” Andreeff said. “Collectively, these represent important progress in removing the barriers that prevent people with MS from walking better and doing the things they enjoy most. From the beginning, our goal was to remove these barriers and help more people use PoNS.”

PoNS is an approved, non-invasive device consisting of a mouthpiece containing electrodes connected by a cable to a controller. The mouthpiece is placed on the tongue during rehabilitation sessions, delivering mild electrical signals to the nerves in the tongue, which travel to the area of ​​the brain responsible for motor control.

These signals are designed to promote neuroplasticity, which is the brain’s ability to adapt in response to new experiences. When used during motor and coordination tasks in rehabilitation programs, it is expected to strengthen the brain circuits involved in these tasks, increasing the benefits of rehabilitation.

The device is approved in the U.S. for the short-term treatment of walking problems in multiple sclerosis patients with mild to moderate symptoms, in combination with supervised physical therapy, in people 22 years of age and older.

The CMSC meeting, which brings together healthcare professionals and researchers involved in multiple sclerosis care, will also include educational workshops, exhibitions and scientific presentations on advances in multiple sclerosis research findings, clinical trials and care.