Medicare Declines To Cover Cyberonics’ Anti-depression Device

Circle Connections: Policy & Regulatory Updates Medical device maker Cyberonics, Inc. said federal Medicare administrators turned down a request to consider providing reimbursement coverage for its depression treatment. The decision by the U.S. Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) dimmed hopes of wider sales of the company's most important product. The agency ruled six years ago that there was not enough evidence to support use of the company's Vagus Nerve Stimulation (VNS) therapy system in patients with treatment-resistant depression. The implantable VNS device is also approved for sale in the United States to treat refractory . . .