Bolstered by a recent $650m deal and a new device launch, Medtronic’s pain therapy product lineup is going from strength to strength.
Medtronic’s completed acquisition of SPR Therapeutics this July, along with its recent formal rollout of the ViaVerte basal nerve ablation system, avails the medtech giant of the “broadest pain therapy portfolio in the industry”, a Medtronic executive has asserted.
ViaVerte is a basivertebral nerve ablation (BVNA) system that delivers radiofrequency (RF) ablation to destroy the small nerve within the vertebral body that is responsible for transmitting pain signals associated with chronic lower-back pain. Originally developed by Merit Medical, Medtronic signed a distribution deal for the system in March 2026.
Following the agreement, Medtronic formally launched ViaVerte, which secured US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) clearance in March 2026, at the 2026 American Society of Pain and Neuroscience (ASPN) meeting, which took place 16-19 July in Miami.
Meanwhile, Medtronic completed its $650m acquisition of SPR Therapeutics on 16 July. The Ohio-based company’s lead product is SPRINT, a peripheral nerve stimulation (PNS) system for addressing chronic pain and expands Medtronic’s existing chronic pain lineup.
According to GlobalData analysis, the global neuromodulation device market is projected to reach a valuation of over $13bn in 2035, up from around $6.8bn in 2025.
Ashwini Sharan, CMO at Medtronic Neuromodulation, tells Medical Device Network the addition of SPR’s core product and ViaVerte strengthens what the company believes is the “broadest pain therapy portfolio in the industry” while also reinforcing Medtronic’s ability to serve patients of pain care “with evidence-based, non-opioid treatment options”.
Sharan continues: “The launch of ViaVerte, together with our acquisition of SPR Therapeutics, reflects our commitment to expanding patient access to innovative, minimally invasive pain therapies.
“ViaVerte complements our existing pain interventions portfolio by giving physicians an additional option for appropriately selected patients with vertebrogenic chronic low back pain, while SPRINT expands our ability to address both chronic and acute pain through short-term peripheral nerve stimulation.”
Regarding ViaVerte’s rollout in the US, Sharan says the company is taking a “thoughtful, phased approach to commercialisation” in order to satisfy dictates around the BVNA system, including clinical support and patient access.
“Our focus is on ensuring clinicians have the training and resources needed to successfully integrate the therapy into practice while expanding access responsibly. As adoption continues to grow, we’ll build on our commercial infrastructure and physician-support network to broaden availability,” Sharan explains.
“Whether it’s for ViaVerte for vertebrogenic pain or SPRINT for chronic and acute pain, we’re focused on expanding access to innovative, non-opioid therapies that support individualised treatment decisions and meaningful improvements in patients’ quality of life,” he concludes.
