Has MERT (Transcranial Magnetic Stimulation – TMS) been approved by regulatory agencies?
Several TMS/rTMS devices are approved by the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) for stimulation of peripheral nerve and, therefore, can be used “off label” by individual physicians to treat brain disorders, essentially in any way they believe appropriate, analogous to the off label use of medications. In January of 2007, the FDAs Neurological Devices Panel concluded that Transcranial Magnetic Stimulation (TMS) treatment is safe but requires further research to demonstrate efficacy. Recently, at the end of 2008, Transcranial Magnetic Stimulation (TMS) was approved by the FDA for treatment. In 2002, Health Canada approved Transcranial Magnetic Stimulation (TMS) as a treatment for medication-resistant depression.
