Musculoskeletal News Roundup 8-Apr-10
BY LAUREN UZDIENSKI, APRIL 7, 2010
Earnings
RSB Spine announced that 1Q:10 sales increased 25% over 4Q09.
M&A
Stryker closed its acquisition of assets related to Synergetics' Sonopet/Omni product line, an ultrasonic aspirator that has applications in neurosurgery. Synergetics will receive $2.5 to $3.0 million in proceeds from the transactions.
Smith & Nephew sold its Interventional Spine Pain Management assets to NeuroTherm. Acquired products include the CDS Discography System, SPINECATH and ACUTHERM Catheters and a radiofrequency product line. Additionally, NeuroTherm will distribute the TRUCATH Injection System. Financial terms of the transaction were not disclosed.
Funding
Excelen, a nonprofit orthopedic research and education foundation, announced plans to raise $12.0 million over three years to establish an incubator in Minneapolis, MN and a seed fund to support early-stage orthopedic companies. Previously, Excelen helped fund development of the first FDA-approved cementless hip replacement and has also supported Spine-Tech, later acquired by Sulzer Medica, DGIMED Ortho Inc. and Zyga Technology.
Product Introduction and Update
DFine introduced a "next-generation access system" for its RF Kyphoplasty procedure, which the company says "allows physicians the ability to treat a broader patient group" and enables "more-accurate minimally invasive delivery of cement."
Spinal Elements announced the completion of the first surgery with the Axxion Minimally Invasive Surgery Retractor System, which the company says allows for the insertion of blades without sequential tissue dilation. The product is not yet available for general release, and Spinal Elements is preparing for a staged release.
Researchers at the University of Massachusetts Medical School researchers have developed a "new type of tissue and bone scaffolding polymer" from a nanoparticle core. The shape-memory polymer can be created in a desired size and shape in the lab and then compressed for minimally-invasive implantation. Heat activation allows it to resume its intended shape in vivo.
Clinical
A study published in the Journal of the American Medical Association suggested higher rates of complications and higher costs for Medicare patients who undergo complex spinal fusions (defined as more than two disc levels or combined anterior and posterior approach) compared to decompression procedures. While the study confirmed questions about complications and resource use in elderly patients, it did not consider outcomes measures, such as improvement in function or reduction in pain.
