Abbott Laboratories ABT said Tuesday that its spinal cord stimulation (SCS) devices were approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration to treat people with chronic back pain who aren’t eligible for back surgery. The FDA’s approval comes after studies showed that the health care technologies company’s BurstDR SCS technology improved pain levels, the ability to perform daily activities and emotional well-being in people with chronic back pain. “This new indication will span across the entirety of Abbott’s SCS portfolio in the U.S., which includes the recharge-free Proclaim(TM) SCS family and the rechargeable Eterna SCS platform,” the company said. Abbott’s stock, which slipped 0.4% in premarket trading, has edged up 0.1% year to date through Monday, while the S&P 500 SPX has gained7.7%.

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