"New research on patients with moderate-to-severe depression, who had not received adequate benefit from previous antidepressant therapy, demonstrated that NeuroStar TMS (Transcranial Magnetic Stimulation) Therapy significantly improved quality of life and functioning when compared to patients receiving sham (placebo) treatment. The new data were presented today at the American Psychiatric Association's (APA) annual meeting."

" "Symptom control is only meaningful in so far as it improves patients' ability to function and enjoy life, which is an essential part of the recovery process," said H. Brent Solvason, MD, Ph.D., Assistant Professor of Psychiatry at Stanford University. Dr. Solvason was a primary investigator in the NeuroStar TMS Therapy(TM) studies and is the lead author of this data report. "Ideally, the combination of both symptomatic and functional improvement should be the goal of treatment.""

" At baseline, the study population (N = 301) had significant symptomatic and functional impairment related to depression. After four weeks of treatment, patients receiving NeuroStar TMS Therapy (N = 155) experienced statistically significant improvements in the General Health (P = 0.049) and Mental Health (P = 0.006) subscales, as well as Mental Component Score (P = 0.019) of the SF-36, a widely used health outcomes measure. After six weeks, significant improvements were also seen in the SF-36 Role-Emotional (P = 0.044) subscale and the Quality of Life Enjoyment and Satisfaction Questionnaire--Q-LES-Q (P = 0.035), a common measurement tool used to assess quality of life in patients suffering from depression. The effect sizes observed in functional status improvement were similar in magnitude to the effect sizes observed in symptomatic benefit."

" "These data demonstrate that NeuroStar TMS Therapy produced significant improvements in depressive symptoms that were accompanied by concurrent improvements in patient-reported functional status and quality of life," said Dr. Solvason."

" A second trial presented at APA evaluated the acute efficacy of NeuroStar TMS Therapy in an open-label setting, which more closely resembles real-world clinical practice. In the open-label study, NeuroStar TMS Therapy was administered as monotherapy in 158 patients for a six-week period. At the end of six weeks, there was a three-week taper phase, which included co-administration of medication monotherapy. Patients treated with NeuroStar TMS Therapy experienced a significant improvement in symptoms, from baseline, as early as Week Two. NeuroStar TMS Therapy-treated patients also achieved a 42 percent response rate and a 27 percent remission rate at the end of six weeks, as measured by the 24-item Hamilton Depression Rating Scale (HAMD-24). At the end of the taper phase, the response rate increased to 46 percent and the remission rate increased to 37 percent. The response rate is the percentage of patients who experienced at least a 50 percent improvement in symptoms. The remission rate is the percentage of patients who experienced a virtually complete resolution of symptoms."

" "The clinical significance of the treatment benefit is demonstrated by the substantial proportion of patients who achieved both response and the more stringent outcome of remission," said Mark A. Demitrack, MD,
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