Relievant Medsystems Announces Favorable Coverage Policy from Cigna Healthcare for the Intracept Procedure

MINNEAPOLIS, June 20, 2023 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — Relievant Medsystems, a company dedicated to transforming the diagnosis and treatment of vertebrogenic low back pain, announced today that Cigna Healthcare, a health benefits provider for 19 million Americans, has established national coverage for the Intracept^® Procedure. The coverage went into effect on Thursday, June 15, and expands access to the procedure, when clinically appropriate, to patients in all 50 states as well as Washington D.C. and Puerto Rico.

“This positive coverage determination from Cigna Healthcare, one of the country’s leading health benefit providers, is vastly impactful in increasing patient and physician access to our proven treatment for vertebrogenic pain,” said Tyler Binney, President and CEO of Relievant Medsystems. “We look forward to further educating payers on the clinical benefits of the Intracept Procedure in providing significant and durable pain relief, as well as reducing overall healthcare utilization.”

The decision from Cigna Healthcare comes shortly after Palmetto GBA, a Medicare Administrative Contractor (MAC) covering Medicare patients in Alabama, Georgia, North Carolina, South Carolina, Tennessee, Virginia, and West Virginia, published a final Local Coverage Determination (LCD) for basivertebral nerve (BVN) ablation that expanded access to more than 5 million covered lives in March of 2023.

“The evidence supporting the Intracept Procedure is clear, from the vast portfolio of published clinical evidence to the life-changing outcomes I have witnessed in my practice,” said Brian Durkin, DO, Division Chief, New York Spine and Pain Specialists. “As awareness of vertebrogenic pain continues to grow, expanding insurance coverage is essential to help the millions of patients with this distinct condition achieve meaningful relief.”

Of the 30 million people in the U.S. with chronic low back pain, 1 in 6 are likely to have vertebrogenic pain, a distinct type of chronic low back pain caused by damage to vertebral endplates, the interface between the disc and the vertebral body. Patients typically have pain in the middle of their low back, which worsens when they bend over, sit for long periods of time, or when they are active. A physician can confirm a patient’s pain is vertebrogenic by observing Modic changes, a biomarker seen on standard MRI that indicates inflammation at the vertebral endplate.

More than 10,000 patients have now been treated with Relievant Medsystems’ minimally invasive Intracept Procedure, the only FDA-cleared treatment for chronic vertebrogenic low back pain. The same-day outpatient procedure uses targeted radiofrequency energy to stop the BVN from transmitting pain signals to the brain and takes approximately one hour to perform.

Based on existing data, patients typically experience minimal post-procedure discomfort and a quick recovery. The Intracept Procedure is supported by strong scientific evidence, including two Level I randomized clinical trials and data showing improvements are sustained more than five years post-procedure.

About Relievant Medsystems
Relievant Medsystems is a commercial-stage medical device company transforming the diagnosis and treatment of vertebrogenic pain, a form of Chronic Low Back Pain (CLBP), with the Intracept Procedure – a novel, clinically proven and commercially available treatment designed to improve the quality of life for millions of indicated patients. For more information about Relievant Medsystems and the Intracept Procedure, visit www.relievant.com.

Media Contact:
Shelli Lissick, Bellmont Partners
(651) 276-6922 | shelli@bellmontpartners.com

Investor Contact:
Marissa Bych, Gilmartin Group
(805) 305-1244 | marissa@gilmartinir.com