Shares of Uroplasty Inc. surged nearly 7 percent Monday on news of positive results from a large study of its incontinence-fighting device.
The Minnetonka-based medical technology company also said the results from its 220-patient clinical trial using the UrgentPC device will be published in the April issue of the Journal of Urology.
Shares closed Monday at $1.83, up 11 cents, or 6.4 percent, on the news in heavy trading.
The UrgentPC Neuromodulation System involves zapping the tibial nerve in the ankle with electricity during a 30-minute office procedure. The treatment targets specific nerve tissue and disrupts the signals that lead to symptoms of urge incontinence and frequent urination, a scourge among women who have had children and men who have undergone prostate surgery.
In the study, 58 percent of the patients who were treated with the device found their symptoms "moderately or markedly improved" compared with 22 percent of the patients who went through a sham procedure that mimicked the treatment, the company said.
UrgentPC already is cleared for use by the Food and Drug Administration, but Uroplasty CEO Dave Kaysen is hopeful the results of the study will encourage insurance companies and Medicare to pay for the procedure on a widespread basis.
JANET MOORE
