Stimvia, a medtech company based in the Czech Republic, has successfully completed a clinical study focused on the use of peroneal electrical transcutaneous neuromodulation (peroneal eTNM®) through its URIS® device to treat symptoms of Parkinson’s disease. The results, also published in the prestigious medical journal Clinical Parkinsonism & Related Disorders, confirm the safety of this non-invasive treatment and suggest a positive impact on both symptom relief—particularly tremor—and patients’ quality of life.
It is estimated that more than 10 million people worldwide live with Parkinson’s disease, making it the second most common neurodegenerative disorder after Alzheimer’s. The disease is characterized by motor dysfunction, muscle stiffness, resting tremor, and issues with balance and walking—symptoms that significantly disrupt daily life. This is where URIS® technology has shown promising results.
“Patients experienced visible improvements not only in motor symptoms like resting tremor, but more importantly in their everyday comfort and well-being. The changes in quality-of-life questionnaires clearly exceeded the threshold of clinical relevance. And most importantly, there were no severe side effects whatsoever,” says Prof. MUDr. David Skoloudik, Ph.D., FESO, FEAN, principal investigator of the study and Vice Dean for Science and Research at the Faculty of Medicine, University of Ostrava in the Czech Republic.
The study included 12 patients with Parkinson’s disease who were also taking Levodopa, a commonly prescribed medication that alleviates symptoms but tends to lose effectiveness over time while producing more side effects. The goal was to determine whether URIS® could serve as a meaningful complement to standard treatment.
Over the course of six weeks, participants used the URIS® device for daily 30-minute stimulation of the peroneal nerve behind the knee. This was followed by six weeks without stimulation to observe whether the positive effects would persist after treatment. The greatest benefits were reported in daily functioning: patients experienced less physical discomfort, improved ability to perform routine activities, and an overall increase in quality of life—especially due to a significant reduction in tremor. These improvements surpassed the threshold considered clinically significant, meaning they had a real, measurable impact on patients.
“With the combination of Levodopa and non-invasive neuromodulation, we aim to slow the progression of the disease and extend patients’ quality years of life, without the need for invasive procedures such as deep brain stimulation. We’re already seeing that URIS® may be a more suitable option in the early stages of Parkinson’s, thanks to its non-invasive nature, ease of home use, and strong safety profile,” says Lukas Doskocil, CEO of Stimvia.
A particularly strong indicator of the therapy’s value, according to Stimvia, is that after trial conclusion, 80% of the patients from the pilot study voluntarily chose to continue using URIS® therapy after the initial phase. “To make that possible, we launched a two-year follow-up study. This is for participants who chose to enrol because they perceive real, tangible health benefits,” Doskocil adds.
Stimvia is now preparing a larger international clinical trial this fall to confirm these promising results. Experts from several European countries are contributing to the study’s design, and research centers are currently being selected.
