Real-World Use of Wrist-worn Neuromodulation Treatment of Essential Tremors

A wrist-worn neuromodulation device (Cala Trio; Cala Health, Inc, Burlingame, CA) when used in a real-world setting to treat essential tremor (ET), 90% (n=178) of those treated had at least a 50% reduction in tremor power after treating their most severe tremors. Across all sessions 57% of those treated had at least a 2-fold improvement in tremor power. Of the 48 participants who completed a survey, 69% reported improvement in their ability to eat, drink, and write, and 48% reported improvement in quality of life. Over half (56%) of participants indicated preference for neuromodulation device to existing pharmaceutical and surgical options for ET treatment.

In 2018, the ET prevalence rate among 819,661 individuals with commercial or Medicare health insurance increased at an annual growth rate of 6.27% from 2010 to 2018. Annual growth rates were 7.29% and 2.05% for the Medicare and commercial health insurance populations, respectively.

Although 68% of people recently diagnosed with ET received a prescription for pharmacologic therapy, 32% did not fill a prescription within 24 months of diagnosis. More individuals with ET received a diagnosis of depression (31.7% vs 11% for individuals with commercial coverage; 27.6% vs 14.2% for individuals with Medicare coverage) or anxiety (39.3% vs 14.8% for participants with commercial coverage; 34.1% vs. 14.4% for participants with Medicare coverage) compared with others without ET in the same period. 

“The data presented at ISPOR are a stark reminder that ET is the most prevalent and growing tremor disorder, and it is also associated with anxiety and depression that can further reduce patients’ quality of life,” said Kate Rosenbluth, PhD, founder and chief scientific officer of Cala Health. “We are pleased to share real-world evidence on the safety, efficacy, and ease of use of Cala Trio in treating action tremors in the hands of patients with ET.”