The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has authorized marketing of the first prescription-only sleep apnea device that people use while awake.
Signifier Medical Technologies' eXciteOSA is a removable device that delivers neuromuscular stimulation to the tongue to reduce snoring and mild sleep apnea for adult patients. The device is intended to improve tongue muscle function, which over time can help prevent the tongue from collapsing backward and obstructing a person's airway during sleep, Signifier noted.
Unlike other devices, eXciteOSA is used for 20 minutes once a day while the person is awake, for a period of six weeks. Then, patients transition to once-a-week use.
