BrainsWay Ltd. (NASDAQ & TASE: BWAY) ("BrainsWay" or the "Company"), a global leader in the advanced non-invasive treatment of brain disorders, today announced recent positive pilot data from an independent, third-party study conducted at Stanford University evaluating an accelerated protocol using the Company's Deep Transcranial Magnetic Stimulation (TMS) technology to treat alcohol use disorder (AUD) patients. The outcomes were reported in a publication in the Brain Stimulation journal entitled, "Accelerated deep TMS in alcohol use disorder: A preliminary pilot trial targeting the dorsal anterior cingulate cortex increases neural target engagement and abstinence."
The study compared outcomes achieved in a residential treatment program on a group of AUD patients treated with BrainsWay's H7-Coil (n=5) using an "accelerated" protocol of multiple sessions of Deep TMS per day over several days, with those achieved in a previously collected sample of data from patients in the same program (n=39) who had undergone other forms of treatment not involving Deep TMS. In the follow-up period after treatment, subjects receiving accelerated Deep TMS showed notably better improvements when compared to those treated by other means. The better outcomes were seen in several important areas, including lower percentages of heavy drinking days (3% v. 22%) and regular drinking days (15% v. 28%), as well as lower relapse rates (60% v. 74%). The study also reported neuroimaging MRI changes in brain activity and connectivity in areas of the brain implicated in addiction disorders and believed to be predictive of AUD relapse.
Shortly following publication of the pilot study, the U.S. National Institutes of Health (NIH) awarded approximately $1.5 million to the same research team to explore the efficacy of BrainsWay's proprietary Deep TMS system in treating substance use addictions, underscoring the possibility of utilizing Deep TMS as a noninvasive treatment modality within the broader addiction space.