While it’s still too early to tell, the impact appears to be promising. More than 40 percent of patients who used the Reset system in addition to standard therapy refrained from alcohol, cocaine, marijuana, and stimulant substance abuse over a three-month period. This is compared with 17.6 percent abstinence for those receiving standard therapy alone, according to the FDA.
“This is an example of how innovative digital technologies can help provide patients access to additional tools during their treatment,” said Carlos Peña, Ph.D., M.S., director of the Division of Neurological and Physical Medicine Devices in FDA’s Center for Devices and Radiological Health in a statement. “More therapy tools means a greater potential to help improve outcomes, including abstinence, for patients with substance use disorder.”
It’s important to note, that the device is prescription only and for people “not currently on opioid replacement therapy, who do not abuse alcohol solely, or whose primary substance of abuse is not opioids.”
Minorities tend to experience greater burden of mental and substance use disorders (SUD) often due to poorer access to care; insufficient care; and higher social, environmental, and economic risk factors. The new technology could prove beneficial to bridging disparities in treatment and outcomes.