Helius to Bring its Innovative PoNS Therapy for Improvement of Gait in People with MS, to the 2023 Academy of Neurologic Physical Therapy Conference
Company’s First-Ever ANPT Booth Sponsorship Enables Specialists to Learn More about this Breakthrough Technology on Eve of National Physical Therapy Month
NEWTOWN, Pa., Sept. 21, 2023 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — Helius Medical Technologies, Inc. (NASDAQ: HSDT) (“Helius” or the “Company”), a neurotech company focused on delivering a novel therapeutic neuromodulation approach for balance and gait deficits, today announced that it will exhibit at the Academy of Neurologic Physical Therapy 2023 Annual Conference, September 28-30 at the Hyatt Regency Minneapolis, marking its first appearance at the conference.
The Company’s focus at booth 7 will be its innovative Portable Neuromodulation Stimulator (PoNS®), an orally applied therapy delivered by translingual neurostimulation to improve gait deficit in people with multiple sclerosis (“MS”). On site to discuss PoNS, the science of neuromodulation and how PoNS leverages electrical stimulation with physical rehabilitation to improve the ability of those living with MS to walk will be Helius’ Director of Physical Therapy, Whitney Patrickson, DPT, and Director of Sales Development, Janet Holland.
Helius’ debut at the conference is timely, coming just after National Rehabilitation Awareness Week (Sept. 18-24) and on the eve of National Physical Therapy Month (October). An individualized physical therapy regimen performed with the PoNS device, mostly in clinic for the first two weeks then at home for twelve additional weeks, is the hallmark of PoNS Therapy™.
“The calendar is spotlighting rehabilitation and physical therapy right now, and we’re enthused to keep the conversation going with ANPT conference attendees,” said Helius’ Chief Medical Officer, Antonella Favit-Van Pelt, M.D., Ph.D. “Among the specialists who treat multiple sclerosis, the neurologic physical therapists understand the challenges in addressing gait deficit in people with MS better than anyone. We strive to have all who visit us at the booth walk away from the conference with a thorough knowledge of PoNS technology and therapy, as well as an appreciation of the impact they have in the lives of people with MS by offering a new therapeutic option to their patients.”
PoNS Therapy promotes neuromodulation of specific areas in the brainstem and cerebral cortex of people with MS. It works by delivering mild electrical impulses to branches of the trigeminal and facial nerves in the tongue while users perform a set of gait and balance rehabilitation exercises as instructed by a physical therapist. When used regularly and consistently over the 14-week treatment period, PoNS triggers neuroplastic mechanisms that can lead to significant improvement in gait function.
“Neurologic physical therapists are a highly specialized subset within the physical therapy community, and they have an outsized impact when it comes to adopting new technologies and approaches that can help people with MS,” Favit-Van Pelt said. “The opportunity to have one-on-one conversations with these experts in a focused conference environment allows us to expand on the importance of PoNS accessibility in promoting neuroplasticity and enhance MS patients’ likelihood to walk better.”
About Helius Medical Technologies, Inc.
Helius Medical Technologies is a leading neurotech company in the medical device field focused on neurologic deficits using non-implantable platform technologies that amplify the brain’s ability to compensate and promote neuroplasticity, improving the lives of people dealing with neurologic diseases. The Company’s first commercial product is the Portable Neuromodulation Stimulator (PoNS®). For more information, visit www.heliusmedical.com.
About the PoNS Device and PoNS Therapy
The Portable Neuromodulation Stimulator (PoNS) is an innovative, non-implantable, orally applied therapy that delivers neurostimulation through a mouthpiece connected to a controller and it’s used, primarily at home, with physical rehabilitation exercise, to improve balance and gait. The PoNS device, which delivers mild electrical impulses to the tongue, is indicated for use in the United States as a short-term treatment of gait deficit due to mild-to-moderate symptoms from multiple sclerosis (“MS”) and is to be used as an adjunct to a supervised therapeutic exercise program in patients 22 years of age and over by prescription only.
PoNS has shown effectiveness in treating gait or balance and a significant reduction in the risk of falling in stroke patients in Canada, where it received authorization for sale in three indications: (i) for use as a short-term treatment (14 weeks) of gait deficit due to mild and moderate symptoms from stroke and is to be used in conjunction with physical therapy; (ii) for use as a short-term treatment (14 weeks) of chronic balance deficit due to mild-to-moderate traumatic brain injury (“mmTBI”) and is to be used in conjunction with physical therapy; and (iiI) for use as a short-term treatment (14 weeks) of gait deficit due to mild and moderate symptoms from MS and is to be used in conjunction with physical therapy. PoNS is also authorized for sale in Australia for short term use by healthcare professionals as an adjunct to a therapeutic exercise program to improve balance and gait. For more information visit www.ponstherapy.com.
Cautionary Disclaimer Statement
Certain statements in this news release are not based on historical facts and constitute forward-looking statements or forward-looking information within the meaning of the U.S. Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995 and Canadian securities laws. All statements other than statements of historical fact included in this news release are forward-looking statements that involve risks and uncertainties. Forward-looking statements are often identified by terms such as “believe,” “expect,” “continue,” “will,” “goal,” “aim” and similar expressions. Such forward-looking statements include, among others, statements regarding the uses and effectiveness of PoNS and PoNS Therapy.
There can be no assurance that such statements will prove to be accurate and actual results and future events could differ materially from those expressed or implied by such statements. Important factors that could cause actual results to differ materially from the Company’s expectations include uncertainties associated with the Company’s capital requirements to achieve its business objectives, disruptions in the banking system and financial markets, lingering impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic, the effect of macroeconomic conditions and the Company’s ability to access capital markets, the Company’s ability to train physical therapists in the supervision of the use of the PoNS Treatment, the Company’s ability to secure contracts with rehabilitation clinics, the Company’s ability to obtain national Medicare coverage and to obtain a reimbursement code so that the PoNS device is covered by Medicare and Medicaid, the Company’s ability to build internal commercial infrastructure, secure state distribution licenses, build a commercial team and build relationships with Key Opinion Leaders, neurology experts and neurorehabilitation centers, market awareness of the PoNS device, availability of funds, manufacturing, labor shortage and supply chain risks, our ability to maintain and enforce our intellectual property rights, clinical trials and the clinical development process, the product development process, the regulatory submission review and approval process, our operating costs and use of cash, and our ability to achieve significant revenues, ongoing government regulation, and other risks detailed from time to time in the “Risk Factors” section of the Company’s Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2022, and its other filings with the United States Securities and Exchange Commission and the Canadian securities regulators, which can be obtained from either at www.sec.gov or www.sedar.com.
The reader is cautioned not to place undue reliance on any forward-looking statement. The forward-looking statements contained in this news release are made as of the date of this news release and the Company assumes no obligation to update any forward-looking statement or to update the reasons why actual results could differ from such statements except to the extent required by law.
Investor Relations Contact
Lisa M. Wilson, In-Site Communications, Inc.
T: 212-452-2793
E: lwilson@insitecony.com
