“…When we analyzed how implantable device-based pain therapies had zero efficacy, disagreements over the quality of evidence were of limited consequence in public health terms [23,24] . However, as data have emerged that undermine the notion that spinal cord stimulation and intrathecal opioid drug delivery are safe [ 26,27 , http://www.wsj.com/articles/SB10001424052702 304512504579493843647492538] a subset of implanting physicians have collaborated with industry to generate publications that misrepresent efficacy and underestimate (or deflect attention from) relative risks [28,29] . Readers may not be aware that with the exception of ziconotide (Prialt, Jazz Pharmaceuticals, Dublin, Ireland), and despite pre-1976 legacy status and other historical factors, no FDA-approved neurostimulation or intrathecal drug therapy for noncancer pain has successfully undergone formal clinical trial programs to establish safety and efficacy.…”