Vielight Inc. Receives Health Canada Approval for Treatment of Covid-19 with Near Infrared Device Technology
May 25, 20233 min readVielight RX Plus, is now the world’s first home-use medical device that uses near
infrared light to be approved by a federal regulatory agency. The RX Plus device is
designed to help adults accelerate their recovery from COVID-19 infection using non- invasive photobiomodulation (PBM) technology.
“We are delighted with this approval by Health Canada”, says Dr. Lew Lim. Founder & CEO of Vielight. “We had designed the Vielight RX Plus to support the immune and respiratory systems while inhibiting the replication of coronaviruses. The COVID-19 pandemic provided an opportunity to conduct a randomized controlled clinical trial and collect data to test its effectiveness.”
The patented Vielight RX Plus device is intended for COVID-19 patients, especially
those experiencing acute symptoms within seven days of symptom onset. The Health Canada approval is supported by a randomized clinical trial involving 295
subjects. Vielight collaborated with partners including TUV and Megalab Inc. for
product testing, as well as a contract research organization and other board-
certified clinical investigators to conduct the study.
While the urgency of the pandemic has significantly subsided, COVID-19 is still present, causing new infections and severe cases. For the week ended April 12, 2023, the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) reported a 7-day average of weekly new cases of 14,491.
“This approval is a major endorsement for photobiomodulation”, said Dr. Michael R Hamblin, formerly Associate Professor at Harvard Medical School and now Distinguished Visiting Professor at University of Johannesburg. “The body of published research on PBM and coronavirus infection etiology has suggested that PBM may be effective in inhibiting the harmful effects of coronaviruses. It could boost the activities of the immune system while managing the risk of inflammation. PBM is also recognized for its healing properties, which may aid recovery.”
Key advantages of the RX Plus device include:
- First medical device cleared by Health Canada for the indication of COVID-19
- The non-invasive technology is safe, effective, and easy-to-use
- Portable, lightweight design makes it suitable for home-use and travel
- No prescription is required to purchase
Video interview with Dr. Nazanin Hosseinkhah, who led the COVID-19 study with its clinical partners:
The retail price for the RX Plus device is $549 USD. It is expected to be available for
purchase by consumers, practitioners, and doctors in approximately 3 months.
"This Health Canada approval is the result of a significant investment our team
has made to ensure our devices are rigorously tested for effectiveness and
safety," said Dr. Nazanin Hosseinkhah, Director of Special Projects and COVID Clinical trial lead."While the interest in photobiomodulation grows significantly it’s important that consumers understand that the technology they are using has been validated by formal research."
Further information on the clinical trial can be found here:
“With the advantages of strong in-house research and engineering, coupled with knowledge gained from this clinical trial," adds Lim." We will soon be commencing a new clinical trial to test the effectiveness of our PBM technology for long COVID."
Dr. Nazanin Hosseinkhah is the Director of Special Projects at Vielight and joined the team to discover how light energy could be used to positively impact the brain and the body.
Dr. Lew Lim is the Founder & CEO of Vielight Inc., and is the inventor of the devices offered by the company. He is a leader in translating the science of photobiomodulation (PBM) into wearable and personal use products, particularly in the field of neurology and neuroscience.
To connect with Dr. Lim or Dr. Hosseinkhah simply click on either individual's expert profile.
For media inquires:
Peter Adams
peteradams@vielight.com
(416) 710-7140
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Nazanin Hosseinkhah, PhD Director of Special Projects
Dr. Hosseinkhah joined Vielight to discover how light energy could be used to positively impact the brain and the body.
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Peter Adams Vice President
Innovation commercialization, Innovation acquisition, innovation community creation