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St. Jude Medical wins European approval for brain device

St. Jude Medical announced today that it’s received approval from European regulators to sell a deep brain stimulator for treating symptoms of Parkinson’s disease.

St. Jude Medical Brio neurostimulatorSt. Jude Medical announced today that it’s received approval from European regulators to sell a deep brain stimulator for treating symptoms of Parkinson’s disease.

The Brio neurostimulator, sometimes referred to as a “brain pacemaker,” sends mild electrical pulses to the brain that are intended to offset irregular nerve signals that are responsible for the symptoms of Parkinson’s.

St. Jude Medical says the product is the smallest and longest-lasting of its kind. The device is slightly larger than a man’s watch and weighs about 29 grams. A 67-year-old man in German recently became the first patient to have the device implanted.