Nature Drops Open-Editing Trial, Citing Lack of Interest BY LAUREN UZDIENSKI, DECEMBER 29, 2006

Last October, we discussed the prestigious journal Nature's open-editing initiative, which would allow scientists to submit their research for an informal public review, separate from the traditional peer review process. This project has been scrapped due to lack of author... more

Orthopedic News Roundup 28-Dec-06 BY LAUREN UZDIENSKI, DECEMBER 28, 2006

M&A Kyphon has signed definitive agreements to acquire all spine-related assets of Israeli company Disc-O-Tech Medical Technologies, Ltd. in a multi-stage transaction. Terms are summarized as follows: Kyphon will pay Disc-O-Tech $60 million upon execution of the definitive agreements; Kyphon... more

Kyphon to Acquire Disc-O-Tech Assets for $240 Million BY JOHN MCCORMICK, DECEMBER 21, 2006

With a one-two punch, Kyphon is snapping up niche assets in the spine industry to expand its franchise as a leading provider of unique minimally invasive devices to spine surgeons. It's been only two weeks since Kyphon announced it's blockbuster... more

Orthopedic News Roundup 21-Dec-06 BY LAUREN UZDIENSKI, DECEMBER 20, 2006

M&A Biomet has agreed to a $10.9 billion buyout from a consortium of private investors, including Biomet founder and former CEO Dane Miller, the Blackstone Group, Goldman Sachs Capital Partners, Kohlberg Kravis Roberts and the Texas Pacific Group. The consortium... more

Making RFID Safe, Practical for Healthcare BY LAUREN UZDIENSKI, DECEMBER 20, 2006

Controversial RFID (radio frequency identification) technology can be used to track everything from traffic patterns to pets, but it's healthcare applications that are drawing a lot of attention, particularly as companies try to develop safe, secure RFID tags for medical... more

Regeneration Technologies and Cryolife to Enter Exchange and Service Agreement BY JOHN MCCORMICK, DECEMBER 19, 2006

Allograft companies, Regeneration Technologies (RTI) and Cryolife announced a non-cash exchange and service agreement this morning concerning their orthopedic and cardiovascular processing. With respect to orthopedics, starting January 1, CryoLife will work to transition existing tissue recovery and donation arrangements... more

MCAC Debates Clinical Research Coverage BY LAUREN UZDIENSKI, DECEMBER 19, 2006

We attended last Wednesday's MCAC panel in Baltimore, convened to discuss revisions to CMS' clinical research policy. The panel recommended changes to the terminology and scope of CMS coverage; voting questions covered the definition of a good clinical study, changes... more

Dane Miller to buy Biomet for $10.9 billion: 10 Months to Close BY JOHN MCCORMICK, DECEMBER 18, 2006

This morning Biomet's board of directors announced an agreement to be acquired by Dane A. Miller, the company's longtime CEO who was pushed aside in March of this year. Miller and his backers - a consortium of private equity firms... more

Yet Again, Synvisc Will Not Have To Share Reimbursement Code BY ARIELLA P. GOLOMB, MD, DECEMBER 15, 2006

In October we reported that Genzyme, maker of the viscosupplement Synvisc, announced a CMS decision grouping all industry viscosupplementation products into the same reimbursement code in January 2007. The coding change meant that reimbursement for viscosupplementation treatments will be based... more

Orthopedic News Roundup 14-Dec-06 BY LAUREN UZDIENSKI, DECEMBER 14, 2006

Regulatory CryoLife received FDA 510(k) clearance for its ProPatch™ Soft Tissue Repair Matrix, an announcement that drove its stock up 9%. Among other applications, ProPatch can be used to reinforce tissues repaired by sutures or by suture anchors during tendon... more

Help our Research Team Choose Blog and Research Report Topics BY EDITOR, DECEMBER 13, 2006

We're running a mini-survey to help shape our blog coverage and help us choose topics for our research reports. Complete the five question survey here (easy, no essay questions). Anyone who completes the survey by December 21 gets a chance... more

Orthopedics: It's About Earnings BY JOHN MCCORMICK, DECEMBER 13, 2006

We are frequently asked this question: why do orthopedic medical device companies lose money in the initial stages of their development? The short answer is that it is a deliberate decision by management teams to grow their companies' revenues. The... more

Congress Delays Medicare Cuts to Physician Income; Will Reward for Data Reporting BY LAUREN UZDIENSKI, DECEMBER 12, 2006

In its final hours, the 109th Congress passed a bill reversing a reimbursement decision that would have resulted in a 5.1% percent cut in Medicare payments to physicians. The cut was scheduled to take effect Jan. 1. We first covered... more

Bids for Biomet: Due Tuesday BY JOHN MCCORMICK, DECEMBER 10, 2006

Hey buddy, can you spare $11 billion? The business news community was set alight on Sunday with a newpaper article that appeared in Britain's Telegraph indicating that Smith and Nephew is poised to submit a bid of about $11 billion... more

Orthopedic News Roundup 7-Dec-06 BY LAUREN UZDIENSKI, DECEMBER 7, 2006

Earnings Stryker announced this week that the Board of Directors has declared a year-end cash dividend of $0.22 per share, an increase of 100% over the $0.11 dividend declared in December 2005. The dividend is payable January 31, 2007 to... more

Nobel Biocare Allowed to Continue Marketing Controversial Implants BY DAVID KRESSEL, DECEMBER 6, 2006

Nobel Biocare was cleared by Swedish regulators to continue selling the controversial NobelDirect and NobelPerfect implants within Sweden and therefore within the EU. These products are controversial because research has shown using them can cause increased bone resorption at the... more

OrthoMimetics Raises Series A Financing BY DAVID KRESSEL, DECEMBER 6, 2006

OrthoMimetics announced it has completed a Gbp5 million Series A raise. Participants include Oxford Capital Partners, Schroders Investment Management, and Sloane Robinson Private Equity, as well as clients of Eden Financial, the placement agent. Joining the board will be Heidi... more

GPO Controversy Surrounds Premier's Baldrige Award BY LAUREN UZDIENSKI, DECEMBER 5, 2006

Each year, three Malcolm Baldrige National Quality Awards are given to companies that excel in "leadership; strategic planning; customer and market focus; measurement, analysis, and knowledge management; human resource focus; process management; and results." The GPO Premier, Inc. was one... more

Q&A with Christine Horton, Co-Founder of CoreSpine Technologies BY ARIELLA P. GOLOMB, MD, DECEMBER 4, 2006

CoreSpine Technologies is an early stage spinal device company. We talked with one of its founders about the company, its products and market potential.

Kyphon to Buy St. Francis Medical for $525 Million Plus $200 Million Contingency Payments BY JOHN MCCORMICK, DECEMBER 4, 2006

KA-BOOM!!! This morning, Kyphon announced that it will be acquiring St., Francis Medical for $525 million in cash and $200 million in contingency payments based on performance. This effectively pre-empts the St. Franics medical IPO. St. Francis made waves in... more

Medicare Panel Debates Spinal Fusion Study Design BY JOHN MCCORMICK, DECEMBER 1, 2006

Yesterday we attended the the Medicare Coverage Advisory Committee (MCAC) meeting on spinal fusion at the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) in Baltimore, MD. The purpose of the meeting was to determine the type of data needed to... more