The device was developed by the university and its spin-out company Neurotherapuetics Ltd, which secured £1m in additional funding to commercialise the device.
According to the Tourettes Action charity, external, there are two versions of the device: Neupulse-C – which is available as a consumer wellness device – and Neupulse-M, which is intended to be marketed as a medical device specifically for the treatment of tics and Tourette’s syndrome, but it has not yet received regulatory approval for this purpose.
Neupulse-M is still going through the regulatory approval process. It is hoped that if regulatory approval is obtained, the device will be considered for NHS use.
The charity added the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) had identified the technology as “promising”, and had requested further evidence of its long-term benefits before making recommendations over NHS adoption.
The university said “thousands” of the devices had been sold so far.
Prof Stephen Jackson, who has led the research, said seeing the impact on users of the device had been “a dream come true”, and hoped it would be available on the NHS “in the next year or so”.
He said: “We are working diligently and as hard as we can to get regulatory approval for the Neupulse device as a treatment for Tourette’s.
“It’s been provisionally evaluated, external by the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence, but they were unable to recommend it for use in the NHS until we have the regulatory approval. That’s something we’re working towards.”
In 2025, NICE added: “Our committee will meet again to appraise the clinical and cost effectiveness of the technology and publish new guidance.”
According to Tourettes Action, more than 300,000 people in the UK have the condition, which is incurable.
Jackson said: “We’ve had people saying they managed to get through their wedding vows without ticking.
“People saying they’ve been able to travel through the airport and travel on airplanes without ticking.”