Earnings Alphatec Spine, Inc. announced that consolidated revenues for 3Q:08 were $25.8 million, an increase of 27.1% from the $20.3 million reported for the 3Q:07. U.S. revenues for 3Q:08 were $21.5 million, an increase of 27.7% from the $16.8 million... more
Earnings Exactech reported 3Q:08 revenues of $37.9 million, missing revenues by $0.9 million and representing an increase of 27% over the year-ago period. Among segments, knee revenue increased 16%; organic hip implant revenue increased 8%; biologic services revenue increased 12%;... more
Earnings CONMED reported 3Q:08 revenues of $179.4 million, up 9% over the year-ago period and beating estimates by $2.95 million. Arthroscopy was up 18% (17% constant currency), contributing $69.5 million to total sales. On a non-GAAP basis, diluted earnings per... more
Last week we attended NASS in Toronto, where we saw the launch of a number of new products as well as the release of new clinical data and the first wave of 3Q:08 earnings results. M&A M&A news was quiet... more
At NASS this week, ISTO Technologies announced promising data from an animal study evaluating their NuQu cell therapy for the treatment of degenerative disc disease. NuQu is a non-invasive cell therapy derived from juvenile chondrocytes and delivered with a protein... more
Earnings Biomet reported FQ1:09 revenues of $607.0 million, up 13% (9% constant currency) over the year-ago period. Excluding special charges, adjusted operating income was $171.6 million for FQ1:09, up 12% over FQ1:08. Among segments, reconstructive reported $449.3 million in sales,... more
M&A Life Spine, Inc. has acquired the "majority" of the intellectual property of Spinal Generations, LLC. Neither details on the acquired technology nor terms of the transaction were disclosed. Funding Harvard received a $125 million donation from Synthes Chairman Hansjorg... more
M&A Arthro Kinetics announced that they are pursuing a potential asset sale. The company said this week that their current $5.0 million cash balance was not sufficient to sustain operations. Tecomet has been acquired from Cardinal Health by Charlesbank Capital... more
What do the severe dislocations seen in the credit markets mean for the orthopedic device startup looking for venture capital? Duly noting we are not a venture capital firm (we perform buyouts), our observation from afar is that the venture... more
Funding Anulex Technologies, Inc. secured a $7.0 million growth capital term loan from Silicon Valley Bank. The company plans to use the proceeds to further their R&D efforts, complete their clinical study and expand their sales force. Anulex markets the... more
M&A Wright Medical Group, Inc. acquired the RAYHACK System for wrist reconstruction, which consists of "procedure-specific bone-cutting guides and fixation plates that allow precise shortening and repositioning of the radius and ulna." The system will be available in the U.S.... more
Earnings Inion reported 2Q:08 sales of EUR 1.8 million ($2.8 million), up 34% over 2Q:07. 1H:08 sales were EUR 2.59 ($4.1 million), a 12% increase over 1H:07. Operating loss for 1H:08 was EUR 4.85 million ($7.6 million), a 20% decrease... more
A new study published in JBJS evaluated results from one arm of the SPORT trial to see if herniation level affected discectomy outcomes. The authors undertook the study after a recent randomized trial conducted by Dr. Heikki Osterman et al... more
Earnings AOI Medical Inc. reported a 1H:08 loss of $3.5 million, widening from a loss of $1.8 million in 1H:07. The company added in the press release that they're conducting a new clinical study for their Ascendex tools for the... more
If flight delays, crowded planes and extra fees weren't enough, a new survey from SpineUniverse adds achy necks and backs to the many pains of air travel. The organization conducted a survey this summer on airplane seats and your spine,... more
Earnings Alphatec Spine, Inc. reported consolidated revenues for 2Q:08 of $23.9 million, an increase of 27% from the $18.8 million reported in 2Q:07. U.S. revenues for 2Q:08 were $19.4 million, an increase of 20% from the $16.2 million reported in... more
Mesoblast announced positive results from an Australian study evaluating the use of its proprietary stem cell therapy in the treatment of non-healing long bone fractures. 10 patients with 11 fractures were enrolled in the study and received the stem cell... more
Earnings Cryolife reported 2Q:08 revenues of $27.2 million, up 18% over the year-ago period and beating estimates by $1.4 million. Orthopedic tissue processing revenues declined 76% to $0.3 million, as the company has discontinued that segment of the business. Net... more
A recent joint study out of MIT's Picower Institute for Learning and Memory and the Karolinska Institute in Sweden may pave the way for the development of revolutionary, non-surgical treatments for spinal cord injuries. Headed by Konstantinos Meletis, a postdoctoral... more
Earnings Anika Therapeutics reported 2Q:08 revenue of $8.38 million, representing a 32% increase over 2Q:07 but missing estimates by $0.4 million. The company attributed sales growth to the strength of the Orthovisc line. Net income for 2Q:08 was $0.81 million,... more
Integra LifeSciences this morning announced plans to acquire the Theken family of businesses - Theken Spine, Theken Disc and Therics - for $75.0 million (2.2x 2007 revenues) plus up to $125.0 million in future performance-based payments (up to 5.9x 2007... more
CMS proposed a national non-coverage decision for intradiscal electrothermic therapy (IDET), saying there is insufficient evidence that the procedure improves outcomes in the Medicare population. IDET is a minimally-invasive treatment for low back pain where a catheter and a heating... more
Earnings Biomet reported FQ4:08 revenues of $635.6 million, an increase of 16% (10% constant currency) over the year-ago period. Sales increased 10% in the U.S and 24% (11% constant currency) OUS. Recon sales increased 17% worldwide (12% constant currency) to... more
On Tuesday, we attended the FDA's Orthopaedic & Rehabilitative Devices Panel, Oxiplex/SP was voted "Not Approvable" by a 5-2 vote, based largely on the sponsoring company's inability to definitively demonstrate product effectiveness. The two dissenters would have voted it "Approvable... more
IP Michigan-based Smart Disc, Inc. received a Notice of Allowance from the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office for U.S. patent application number 10/838,515, covering the company's artificial disc technology. The device can be implanted using a posterior approach and is... more
Last week the FDA released a public health notification regarding the off-label use of of rhBMP (InFuse, OP-1) in the cervical spine. The agency says that over the past four years there have been at least 38 reports of complications... more
Regulatory Interventional Spine announced that the FDA has conditionally approved its IDE application for the PercuDyn System, pending the company providing some additional information to the FDA. CEO Walter Cuevas commented that the company will now begin collecting data to... more
Earnings Symmetry Medical reported 1Q:08 revenue of $101.9 million, up 57% from the year-ago period. Revenue was positively affected by the recent acquisitions of TNCO, Inc., Specialty Surgical Instrumentation Inc. and DePuy Orthopaedics, Inc.'s Massachusetts manufacturing facility. Net income for... more
M&A Wright Medical Group, Inc. announced that it has acquired the foot and ankle product line of A.M. Surgical, Inc. The systems purchased address the decompression and soft tissue release procedures most commonly performed by foot and ankle surgeons. The... more
Results from the Finnish Twin Spine Study show that disc degeneration may not be the result of physical strain, but genetically determined. The study, which was initiated in 1991, examined 147 pairs of identical and 153 pairs of fraternal male... more
Earnings Integra LifeSciences reported its financial results for the first quarter ending March 31, 2008. Total revenues were approximately $156.0 million, reflecting an increase of $33.0 million, or 27%, over the first quarter of 2007. Adjusted net income for the... more
A recent study published in JBJS shows some of the potential of adipose-dervived stem cells as a vehicle for gene therapy in promoting spinal fusion. Five groups of rats received stem cells and the BMP gene, stem cells, osteogenic media... more
M&A Kinetic Concepts, Inc. announced that it completed its acquisition of LifeCell Corporation. At the time of the expiration of the tender offer, 31.1 million shares of LifeCell common stock had been tendered representing approximately 90.75% of the outstanding shares... more
In Switzerland, more than 135 surgeons are contributing data to a newly-implemented spine registry, reporting cost, efficacy and performance information on cervical and lumbar total disc arthroplasty and kyphoplasty procedures. The Swiss government started the program in December 2007 to... more
Earnings Medtronic reported FQ4:08 revenue of $3.86 billion, representing an 18% increase over the year-ago period and beating estimates by $0.14 billion. Currency translation had a positive impact of $160.0 million. Adjusted net earnings for the quarter were $884.0 million,... more
Earnings aap Implantate AG announced 1Q:08 revenues of EUR 8.0 million ($12.64 million), up 36% over the year-ago period. The company attributed the growth to a 146% increase in sales in its Trauma & Orthopaedics division, which contributed EUR 3.7... more
The Spine Arthroplasty Society ("SAS") conference continues to be the forward thinking spine conference. The meeting's growing clinical stature and technology flare attracts surgeons and companies from around the globe seeking to bring cutting edge technologies to the market and... more
Earnings Artimplant announced 1Q:08 revenues of SEK 2.1 million ($0.35 million), down from SEK 3.9 million ($0.66 million) in 1Q:07. Net loss for the quarter was SEK 6.2 million ($1.04 million), or SEK 10 ($1.68) per share, a deterioration from... more
Earnings Anika Therapeutics reported 1Q:08 total revenues of $8.55 million, an increase of 46% over the year-ago period, which the company attributed to strong domestic and international sales of ORTHOVISC. Revenues beat analysts' expectations by $0.2 million. Net income for... more
A new study funded by Medtronic and presented at this week's AANS meeting showed that compared to fusion, patients who underwent cervical disc replacement saved an average of $6,000 in the two years following treatment. 541 patients received either the... more
Earnings Alphatec Holdings reported consolidated revenues for 1Q:08 of $23.2 million, an increase of 19% from the year-ago period. U.S. revenues for the first quarter of 2008 were $18.6 million, an increase of 12% from the year-ago period. Asia revenues... more
Earnings Biomet reported FQ3:08 net sales of $603.1 million, a 14% increase over the year-ago period. Excluding the impact of foreign currency, net sales increased 10%. U.S. revenue was $351.6 million. Adjusted net income for the third quarter was $25.2... more
Earnings aap Implantate reported 2007 revenue of EUR 28.0 million ($41.24 million), an increase of 52% over 2006. Net profit for the year was EUR 1.5 million ($2.21 million), down from EUR 1.6 million ($2.36 million) in 2006, which the... more
BioMimetic Therapeutics' shares dove sharply last week (and recovered somewhat less sharply) because the FDA raised the possibility that the active ingredient of all of the company's products, PDGF (Platelet-Derived Growth Factor), caused cancer. From Thursday's intraday high price per... more
Earnings DJO Inc., formerly ReAble Therapeutics, reported 4Q:07 net sales of $170.7 million, a 97% increase over 4Q:06; the growth rate was due primarily to acquisitions, including ReAble's merger with DJO. The company reported an actual net loss of $57.3... more
Earnings Biomet announced preliminary FQ3:08 revenues of $603.1 million, an increase of 14% over the year-ago period. By segment, reconstructive device sales increased 19% worldwide and 13% in the U.S.; knee sales increased 24% worldwide and 21% in the U.S.,... more
Earnings BioMimetic Therapeutics reported 4Q:07 revenues of $4.5 million, up from $1.9 million in 4Q:06 but missing analysts' estimates by $1.1 million. Revenues included $3.6 million of product sales of GEM 21S to Luitpold, $0.7 million of royalty income and... more
Earnings Anika Therapeutics reported 4Q:07 product revenue of $7.9 million, in line with estimates and up from $5.08 million for the same period last year. The revenue growth was attributed to domestic and international sales of the ORTHOVISC product line,... more
Consumer spending for spinal treatments rose 65% from 1997 to 2005, faster than overall health spending, with patients spending $86 billion to treat back and neck problems. These treatments included drugs, outpatient procedures, ER visits and surgery. However, back pain... more
Earnings ArthroCare reported 4Q:07 revenues of $87.5 million, beating estimates by $1.7 million, representing a 25% increase over the year-ago period. Net income was $14.5 million, or $0.50 per diluted share, missing estimates by a penny and representing a 78%... more
Data from the eagerly-anticipated final arm of the SPORT trial was released today. Results showed that patients receiving decompressive laminectomy for the treatment of spinal stenosis showed improved outcomes following the procedure. Prior arms of the $21 million SPORT trial... more
Earnings Hanger Orthopedic Group reported 4Q:07 net sales of $170.8 million, beating estimates by $7.5 million and representing an 11% over the year-ago period. Revenue growth was attributed to an increase in same-center sales from Hanger's patient care business, an... more
Earnings Smith & Nephew announced 4Q:07 revenues of $967.0 million, beating estimates of $933.0 million and reflecting a 25% (reported) increase over 4Q:06. Adjusted earnings per share was $0.16, in line in estimates and up 10% over the year-ago period.... more
Earnings Kensey Nash reported FQ2:08 total revenues of $19.6 million, missing estimates by $0.05 million and up 14% over the year-ago period. Net sales of biomaterials products increased 15% to $11.5 million, which the company attributed to orthopedic sales. The... more
In the January 30th issue of the New York Times, healthcare reporter Reed Abelson takes a critical look at spine surgery, and in particular a novel device called Prodisc in an article titled "Financial Ties Are Cited as Issue in... more
Earnings JNJ reported 4Q:07 revenues of $15.96 billion, up 17% over the year-ago period and beating consensus estimates of $15.4 billion. Net income was $2.37 billion, or $0.82 per share, missing estimates by $0.04. Depuy reported 4Q:07 sales of $1.21... more
Earnings Biomet reported earnings for 2FQ:08 last week, with net sales up 11% to $578.1 million over the comparable quarter. Worldwide, knee sales were up 17%, and hip was up 12%. Extremity sales increased 11% and bone cements and accessories... more
M&A ArthroCare Corp. acquired DiscoCare, Inc., whom the company describes as "a third-party billing and reimbursement service provider," for $25 million in cash plus potential future milestone payments. The company says, "This acquisition will allow ArthroCare to significantly expand its... more
Last week ArthroCare announced a $25 million deal to acquire DiscoCare, described in the press release as a "medical billing and reimbursement service provider." Specifically, DiscoCare provides reimbursement assistance to physicians using Arthrocare's plasma disc decompression (PDD) device; though it... more
M&A Curis, Inc. entered into an agreement to sell and assign its remaining BMP-7 technologies to Stryker Corporation. Curis will receive an initial payment of $1.0 million as well as additional cash payments based on specified clinical, regulatory and sales... more
M&A Sandvik AB said its Sandvik Materials Technology division has acquired Medtronic's specialty instrument manufacturing plant in Memphis. Medtronic plans to move the plant's purchasing, receiving and quality functions to the company's development and logistics center nearby. The transaction is... more
M&A BioMimetic announced the impending sale of its dental business and GEM 21S product to Luitpold Pharmaceuticals. Luitpold, who has been distributing the product since 2003, will pay BioMimetic $40.0 million in addition to ongoing royalty and milestone payments. The... more
Medtronic announced plans yesterday to bring spine and orthopedic therapies to the Chinese market through a joint venture with Shandong Weigao Group Medical Polymer Company Limited. Under the joint venture agreement, the companies will sell spine and orthopedic products, including... more
The New York Times reported last week that post-doctoral fellow at Harvard discovered what keeps pregnant women upright amid changes to abdominal mass and center of gravity: the lumbar curve in the lower back and reinforcement of the lumbar vertebrae.... more
Exactech announced yesterday plans to acquire all outstanding shares of Altiva for a payment of $7.0 million in cash and Exactech common stock. The company previously announced a purchase valuation of Altiva totaling $25.0 million. Prior to the news of... more
Regulatory Amedica received FDA clearance for their Valeo™ Pedicle Screw system, a low profile and modular pedicle screw system intended for non-cervical pedicle fixation from the T1 through L5. Corin announced FDA clearance for additional sizes of its Cormet hip... more
Earnings Medtronic reported FQ2:08 revenue of $3.12 billion, beating estimates by $0.02 million and representing a 2% increase over the year-ago period. Net earnings for FQ2:08 were $666.0 million, or $0.58 per diluted share, beating estimates by $0.02 but down... more
Earnings Artimplant announced 3Q:07 revenue of SEK 2.6 million, up from SEK 0.9 million in the year-ago period. 3Q:07 net loss was SEK 3.6 million, down from SEK 10.4 in 3Q:06. Earnings per share, including a non-recurring item, amounted to... more
This morning Regeneration Technologies (RTI) and Tutogen announced their intent to merge. These are two of the larger players in the tissue processing business though their businesses have surprisingly little overlap. RTI has been more focused on allograft hard tissue... more
Swiss orthopedics giant Synthes announced today that it is purchasing N-Spine for $30 million cash upfront, $45 million cash for certain milestones and additional undisclosed payments for reaching certain sales targets. Synthes is one of the leaders in the spine... more
Jefferson Medical College researchers reported in the November 1 edition of Spine that they had discovered, for the first time, stem cells in the intervertebral discs of the human spine. The discovery of these cells could ultimately pave the way... more
Earnings Anika reported 3Q:07 product revenues of $7.28 million, up from $5.49 million in 3Q:06. The company attributed the sales growth to strong domestic and international sales of ORTHOVISC®. Net income for 3Q:07 was $1.8 million, or $0.16 per diluted... more
Earnings DJO reported 3Q:07 net revenues of $119.8 million, up 5.8% over 3Q:06. Excluding a 2006 revenue benefit from shipping terms and clearing of product backorders associated with Aircast, 3Q:07 revenue was up 7.6% to $121.8 million, in line with... more
Last week, six members of our firm attended the North American Spine Society (NASS) annual meeting in Austin, TX talking to surgeons, companies and scientists about the latest technology, market and clinical developments in the spinal implant industry. We are... more
Earnings ArthroCare Corp. reported 3Q:07 total revenues of $78.5 million, an increase of 21% over the comparable quarter. Revenues missed estimates by $0.11 million. The company reported net income of $11.1 million, or $0.39 per share, up 28% over 3Q:06... more
Synthes announced this morning that they received an Approvable Letter from the FDA regarding their PMA application for the ProDisc®-C, the company's artificial cervical disc. A full approval order will be made once Synthes' manufacturing processes are reviewed by the... more
Earnings Biomet reported FQ1:08 sales of $552.3 million, up 9% over the comparable quarter. The company reported a net loss for the quarter of $42.9 million, down from an income of $104.4 million for FQ1:07. The company attributed the loss... more
Wilmington, N.C.-based spine company TranS1 began trading on the NASDAQ today following Tuesday's IPO. The stock debuted at $15 per share, above the $12-$14 per share forecasted by underwriters Lehman Brothers Holdings Inc. and Piper Jaffray, and raised a total... more
M&A With certain conditions, the FTC will allow Kyphon to proceed with its planned acquisition of Disc-O-Tech Medical Technologies and Discotech Orthopedic Technologies Inc. Kyphon was directed to sell Disc-O-Tech's Confidence product lines to address antitrust concerns. When Kyphon announced... more
Two recent FDA warning letters issued in the spine space show regulators cracking down on industry marketing practices, putting pressure on devicemakers to conduct more trials and pursue harder-to-get indications for their products. In August, Spineology received an FDA warning... more
M&A Orthofix acquired the rights to all of the intellectual property related to the InSWing™ interspinous process spacer. InSWing is designed to relieve pain associated with lumbar spinal stenosis and can be used in a minimally invasive surgical procedure. Orthofix... more
Legal Federal prosecutors announced on Thursday the terms of a settlement with Zimmer, Depuy, Biomet, Smith & Nephew and Stryker following an investigation into physician compensation practices. Zimmer, Depuy, Biomet and Smith & Nephew entered into deferred prosecution agreements and... more
CARLSBAD, Calif., Sep 21, 2007 -- Alphatec Holdings, Inc. (Nasdaq:ATEC), a medical technology company focused on the design, development, manufacturing and marketing of products for the surgical treatment of spine disorders, announced the pricing of its public offering of 8,800,000... more
Earnings AOI Medical reported a 1H:07 loss of $1.8 million, increasing from a loss of $0.97 million in the comparable half. The company attributed the loss to increased expenses. They expect their product, the Balloon Assisted Management of Spine Fractures,... more
The interview below was first published in ArgoSpine News in December 2006. As part of our sponsorship of ArgoSpine, we're republishing select ArgoSpine News content for our audience. In this entry, Dr. Ueyama discusses spinal stenosis, his practice in Japan... more
Earnings aap Implantate announced 38% growth in revenues following its consolidation with Fame Medical Group. Revenues in 1H:07 totaled EUR 12.7 million. Highlights from 2Q:07 include a reported double-digit increase in international sales in the Trauma & Joint Reconstruction segment... more
Yesterday, the Philadelphia Inquirer (article here) reported that Synthes and Globus have settled their long running legal dispute for an undisclosed amount. The agreement stipulates that Globus that it will not solicit or hire Synthes employees for one year. This... more
Earnings BioMimetic Therapeutics reported a 2Q:07 net loss of $6.4 million, or $(0.35) per share, beating estimates of $(0.39) per share and improving from a net loss of $3.9 million, or $(0.42) per share, in 2Q:06. 2Q:07 Revenues were $0.5... more
Earnings Biologics: Orthovita reported 2Q:07 revenues of $14.85 million, beating estimates of $14.13 million and reflecting a 33% increase over 2Q:06. Sales growth was attributed to increased U.S. sales of VITOSS® FOAM and VITAGEL® products. Net loss decreased to $3.17... more
Earnings Large Joint: Exactech announced 2Q:07 revenue of $31.6 million, beating estimates of $29.9 million and up 19% from the comparable quarter. CEO Bill Petty attributed the growth to "acceptance of our new products and continuing success of our products... more
CMS released its final rule for the FY2008 Inpatient Prospective Payment System (IPPS). As we noted when the draft rule was announced in April, ortho payments will mostly increase next year. The rule also confirms that CMS will implement new... more
Earnings Stryker reported revenues of $1.46 billion, beating estimates of $1.44 billion and increasing 16% from $1.26 billion in 2Q:06. 2Q:07 earnings were $269.1 million, or $0.65 per share, beating estimates of $0.61 and up from $0.52 in the comparable... more
Spine company TranS1 registered for an initial public offering of common stock yestderday. Like all IPOs, TranS1 has a few hurdles to pass through before actually going public, but the company has taken the first important step which is to... more
M&A DJO announced on Monday plans for merger with ReAble (formerly Encore Medical). ReAble will acquire all outstanding shares of DJO stock, a transaction valued at approximately $1.6 billion and including the assumption of debt. The transaction will be funded... more
Today was a long day in Gaithersburg, Maryland exploring the ins and outs of wear debris and Bayesian statistics. Luckily the dirty work was left to an 11-member panel of sober experts appointed by the FDA to make recommendations on... more
M&A Biomet Inc. shareholders accepted an $11.4 billion buyout offer from a private equity consortium attempting to acquire the medical device maker. The consortium, LVB Acquisition LLC, announced Thursday that nearly 83 percent of Biomet's shares were tendered. The company... more
The week prior to the 4th, we attended the Spine Technology Education Group meeting in Los Cabos, Mexico, which addressed numerous topics on innovative techniques in spine surgery. Kudos to Drs. Phillips, Albert and Vaccaro for organizing a meeting that... more
Regulatory Life Spine announced 510(k) clearance for its static anterior cervical plating system Neo®-SL. The system features an integrated lock that allows bone screws to be securely fixated without any additional locking components. The FDA approved new labeling for Genzyme's... more
MAITLAND, Fla., June 25 /PRNewswire/ -- Scient'x USA, manufacturer of innovative spinal implant technologies, today announced that Federico P. Girardi, M.D. will be joining their Scientific Advisory Board. Dr. Federico Girardi is an Assistant Attending Orthopaedic Spine Surgeon at the... more
Regulatory TiGenix submitted an application to market ChondroCelect to European regulatory authority the European Medicines Agency for the Evaluation of Medicinal Products. The application is supported by clinical data comparing ChondroCelect to microfracture, where, according to the company, ChondroCelect was... more
The interview below was first published in Argos Spine News in December 2006. As part of our sponsorship of Argos, we'll be bringing a series of Argos content to our audience throughout the year. In this entry, Dr. Jean-Pierre Elsig... more
Effective July 12, intervertebral body fusion devices that contain bone grafting material will be reclassified from class III into class II. Interbody devices that contain a therapeutic biologic (e.g., bone morphogenic protein) will remain in class III. A guidance document... more
M&A The private equity consortium set to acquire Biomet increased its buyout offer to $46.00 per share in cash, or an equity value of $11.4 billion. The new offer represents a 32.3% premium over the April 2006 common stock closing... more
Regulatory CMS released a proposed non-coverage decision for lumbar artificial disc replacements following a review of Synthes' Pro-Disc-L. The agency found that LADR is not reasonable and necessary for Medicare recipients over 60 based on lack of relevant data and... more
Spinal fusion is evaluated in the second of three SPORT studies, and patients who selected the surgery to treat degenerative spondylolisthesis had better outcomes when compared with nonsurgical treatment. However, when the results were analyzed on an intention-to-treat basis, there... more
At the end of Friday, CMS published a sweeping proposal that denies coverage for all lumbar artificial discs in the age 60-and-over Medicare population. The proposal can be found here on the CMS website. Falling into line with its previous... more
Just as one DOJ investigation seemed to be coming to a close, Biomet reported late last week that the company is facing new subpoenas from federal prosecutors. The government is requesting documents from as far back as 1999 relating to... more
Earnings Medtronic reported FY2007 earnings of $12.3 billion, an increase of 9% over FY2006. Adjusted income was up 10% to $2.8 billion, or $2.41 per share, an increase of 15% over the previous year. For the fourth quarter, revenue was... more
Yestderday, Utah-based Amedica Corp. filed an initial public offering Securities and Exchange Commission to sell up to $74.75 million in common stock. The company's technology platform is in silicon nitride ceramics as applied to various types of orthopedic implants including... more
Earnings BioMimetic Therapeutics reported a 1Q:07 net loss of $5.7 million or $(0.34) per share, beating estimates of $(0.37) and comparing to a net loss of $3.8 million, or $(2.22) per share, in 1Q:06. The company reported revenues of $0.25... more
Earnings Biologics Integra LifeSciences announced 1Q:07 revenues of $123.0 million, beating estimates of $119.25 million and reflecting a 60% increase over 1Q:06. Net income for the quarter was $9.07 million, or $0.33 per share, meeting analysts' estimates. President and CEO... more
In the past, the Spine Arthroplasty Society (SAS) conference was about spinal disc replacement and had a decidedly commercial tone. Disc replacement was the promised land and market forecasts predicting billions and billions proliferated. The future is now and the... more
Earnings Spine Kyphon reported that worldwide revenues in 1Q:07 increased 40% to $128.1 million, which includes $18.1 million in X-STOP® Interspinous Process Decompression (IPD®) sales from the St. Francis acquisition. In the U.S., revenues increased 34% to $101.1 million, while... more
Earnings Large Joints Zimmer reported income of $233.4 million, or $0.98 per share, beating estimates of $0.93. The quarter compares to a profit of $205.6 million, or $0.82 per share in 1Q:06. Revenue rose 10% to $950.2 million from $860.4... more
Stryker's 1Q:07 earnings call last week highlighted strong profits, but Chief Executive Stephen MacMillan noted a potential snag in its pipeline - OP-1 putty, the company's bone morphogenic protein for spinal fusion indications, may not reach the market until late... more
Earnings Stryker announced 1Q:07 earnings on Wednesday. Net income increased to $243.5 million, or $0.59 per share, beating analysts' estimates of $0.58 per share. In the comparable quarter, net income was $147.5 million, or $0.36 per share. Revenues increased 13%... more
Earnings aap Implantate AG announced 2006 revenues of EUR 18.5 million, up 38% from the previous year. The aap Group attributed the growth to the Biomaterials segment, where sales increased by 64% to EUR 12.2 million. Biomaterials now generates two... more
With a small market and conditions that are relatively rare, pediatrics hasn't drawn a lot of product development in the device space. As a result, children may receive devices that aren't appropriately sized for them or are lacking in data... more
The Lehman Brothers medical device research team had a fruitful visit to the beltway last week notably with Steve Phurrough, Director of the Coverage and Analysis Group at CMS and Herb Khun, CMS's Deputy Administrator. One of Lehman's findings related... more
Earnings BioMimetic Therapeutics announced 4Q:06 financial results, reporting a net loss of $5.3 million or $0.34 per share and beating analysts' estimates of a loss of $0.37 per share. This compares to a net loss of $9.2 million, or $5.82... more
There is much developmental focus in the orthopedic industry on creating products that treat patients earlier in the continuum of care with the goal of slowing irreversible disease progression. When earlier intervention is dramatic, it is necessary to have a... more
Earnings Inion announced year-end results for 2006 on Wednesday, reporting a 25% decline in revenues. 2006 sales totaled EUR 5.7 million, compared with EUR 7.6 million in 2005. R&D spending increased 17% to EUR 5.6 million from EUR 4.8 million... more
Earnings Orthofix International N.V. announced 4Q:06 revenue of $116.1 million, an increase of 45% over 4Q:05 and just missing estimates of $116.6 million. $28.1 million of 4Q:06's revenue can be attributed to the September 2006 acquisition of Blackstone Medical, Inc.... more
Earnings Biologics LifeCell reported 4Q:06 product revenues of $39.3 million, an increase of 45% over $27.0 million in 4Q:05, but missed analysts' estimates of $39.5 million. The growth was attributed to increased demand for the Company's AlloDerm® Regenerative Tissue Matrix.... more
Earnings Tutogen announced results for first fiscal quarter ending December 31, 2006. Total revenues increased 43% to $11.5 million, compared to $8.0 million in the comparable quarter of fiscal year 2006. U.S. revenues increased 50%, and international revenues increased 27%... more
After the markets closed on Friday, Zimmer announced an agreement to acquire Endius, Inc., a Massachusetts-based spine company. Endius has developed a minimally invasive instrument kit, Atavi, and associated implants for spinal fusion. The Atavi comes as a cartridge the... more
Earnings Kyphon Inc. announced 4Q:06 sales totaling $112.6 million, an increase of 31% over the $85.8 million in net sales reported for the 4Q:05. Net income for 4Q:06 increased 228% to $12.2 million, or $0.26 per diluted share, compared to... more
Earnings Lifecore Biomedical reported earnings for the second quarter ending December 31, 2006. Net income fell to $1.37 million, or $.10 per diluted share during the quarter from $1.39 or $.10 per diluted share, in the quarter ending December 31,... more
M&A Paragon Medical has entered into an agreement to acquire OMC Precision Products and Tutela Medicus. OMC provides machining, finishing and assembly of implants, primarily for the spinal and neurological markets, and Tutela offers product development services to device manufacturers... more
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
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
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
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
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CoreSpine Technologies is an early stage spinal device company. We talked with one of its founders about the company, its products and market potential. |
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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
Earnings ORTHOsoft reported 3Q:06 revenues of CAN $3.8 million (US $3.3 million), up 59% from CAN $2.4 million (US $2.1 million) in 3Q:05. ORTHOsoft manufactures computer aided orthopedic surgery devices, and they attribute the 3Q:06 growth to increased navigation systems... more
The first arm of the Spine Patients Outcome Research Trial ("SPORT") study was released by the Journal of the American Medical Association yesterday. The $13.5 million NIH funded SPORT study has been designed to determine the efficacy of spine surgery... more
For 2Q:07, Medtronic reported overall revenue of $3.08 billion, which represented year over year growth of 11% (10% on a constant currency basis), beating analyst estimates of $2.97 billion. During the quarter spinal instrumentation generated revenues of $421 million, an... more
This morning Orthovita announced that it hopes to do a 7.7 million share offering at $3.25 a share in order to raise approximately $23 million net of fees. At least $9 million of the proceeds is expected to be used... more
Earnings: Langer reported their 3Q:06 results on Tuesday, which included a net loss of approximately $553,000, or $.06 per share on a fully diluted basis. Compared to 3Q:05, there was a net income $236,000, or $.02 per share on a... more
Last week we attended the 9th Annual MDMA Coverage Reimbursement and Health Policy Conference in Washington D.C. As we've previously discussed, the MDMA events are a terrific opportunity for small- to medium-sized device companies to network, provide insight on topical... more
Earnings: Tissue Grafting: Regeneration Technologies, Inc. announced revenues of $18.1 million for 3Q:06, compared to $22.5 million for 3Q:05. RTI said the decrease in revenues was due to fewer tissues available for processing demand and reduced orders from primary distributors.... more
Earnings Dental: Lifecore Biomedical announced that 1Q:07 net sales increased 12% to $15 million. Net income for the quarter was $1.1 million, representing a year-over-year increase of 9%. The Company was in-line with analysts' estimates and reported earnings of $0.08... more
Earnings Update: CryoLife provided an update on its 3Q:06 projected revenues, which are estimated at ~$20 million, a 22% increase over the comparable quarter of 2005. In 3Q:06, its tissue processing revenues were ~$10.3 million, an increase of 41%, and... more
Earnings Update: Tutogen Medical, Inc. provided an update on its 4Q:06 projected revenues which are estimated at ~$10.8 million, representing a 36% increase over the comparable quarter of 2005. Revenues for the fiscal year will be ~$38 million, an increase... more
With the 2006 NASS meeting winding down, we thought we'd share some highlights from Seattle. SPORT Clinical Trial Session a Tease On Wednesday, the two-hour, much-anticipated session on SPORT results focused on SPORT background information - but not the data... more
Yesterday, Medtronic Spinal and Navigation business division hosted an analyst meeting during the North American Spine Society (NASS) meeting in Seattle to provide an update on its current operations. Given the recent FDA panel recommendation for approval of their cervical... more
Invibio, principal supplier of PEEK polymer, an increasingly important material used in orthopedic applications, announced earlier this month the launch of a new device material, ENDOLIG(TM) composite, a biocompatible carbon fiber reinforced thermoplastic material. On their website, the company highlights... more
Earnings: Biomet reported its 1Q:07 earnings totaled $0.44 per share (excluding the adoption of the share-based payment) which was $0.01 more than what analysts were expecting. Revenues increased by 5% to $508 million (foreign currency had a $3 million favorable... more
Yesterday's FDA Orthopedic and Rehabilitation Devices advisory panel unanimously recommended approval of Medtronic's PRESTIGE Cervical Disc System. After reviewing the 24 month, ~500 patient multi-center randomized clinical trial data, Wall Street Journal (subscription required) reported that the FDA panel concluded... more
After the market closed yesterday, Regeneration Technologies (RTI) announced it amended a prior distribution agreement with its largest distributor, Medtronic Sofamor Danek USA, Inc. (MSD) regarding domestic spinal allograft distribution. Currently, RTI derives 60% of its annual revenues (~$45 million)... more
Appointment: Ranier Technology Limited has appointed John C. Moran to its Board of Directors. Previously, Mr. Moran was a President of Synthes Spine and a Director of Spine Solutions, Inc. Active Implants Corporation (AIC) has hired Richard Treharne, PhD. as... more
Appointment: SpineVision® SA has hired Julian Mackenzie as its new Chairman and CEO. Previously, Mr. Mackenzie was with Wright Medical serving as Director General and CFO. Business Update: Donor Referral Services of North Carolina is at the center of a... more
Appointment: IsoTis OrthoBiologics has hired Gene B. Reu as Vice President of Operations. Prior to joining IsoTis, Mr. Reu served as Vice President & General Manager of Coblation Technologies with Arthrocare, Inc. Business Update: ArthroCare Corp. announced it has received... more
The FDA's Orthopaedic and Rehabilitation Devices Panel will be meeting on September 19, 2006. The committee will discuss, make recommendations and vote on a premarket approval application for Medtronic's Prestige ST artificial cervical disc. This metal on metal, ball and... more
Earnings: Biologics: Tutogen reported 3Q:06 sales of $10 million and a net loss of $1.1 million, or $0.07 per fully diluted share compared to the same quarter last year. The Company would have experienced breakeven results without ~$1.1 million in... more
Yesterday Synthes reported consolidated 1H:06 financials with sales of $1.2 billion, representing an increase of 14% (15% constant currency). Consolidated sales for 1H:06 in Europe, Asia Pacific, North America and elsewhere increased by 16.8%, 16.6%, 14.7% and 10.5%, respectively. For... more
Yesterday Synthes Spine received a letter from the FDA indicating that its PRODISC lumbar total disc replacement device PMA has been approved. Typically when a PMA is approved, the FDA attaches conditions and restrictions to use of the device and... more
Earnings: Biologics: Orthovita reported 2Q:06 product sales came in at $11.2 million, up 32% compared to 2Q:05. On a non-GAAP basis net loss for the quarter was $5.1 million, or a loss of $0.10 per share. The Company did not... more
Group Purchasing Organizations have historically been responsible for purchases surrounding low preference commodity products such as bed linens and gloves. Over time GPOs have been migrating to higher physician preference items. Today's announcement by US Spine that they have entered... more
This morning Orthofix International, NV (NasdaqGS: OFIX) announced that it has signed an agreement to acquire independent spinal implant developer Blackstone Medical, Inc. for $333 million in cash. Blackstone revenues were $22mm in 2Q:06 and EBIT was approximately $2mm. Trailing... more
Earnings: Biologics: IsoTis OrthoBiologics reported 2Q:06 revenue of $10.8 million, up 43% compared to $7.5 million in 2Q:05. Its U.S. division grew 22%, while international revenues grew 39%. The Company has three distribution channels: U.S. independent agents, international distributors and... more
Disc Dynamics, a Minnesota-based spine start-up, has just received an IDE from the FDA to commence a study on its DASCOR minimally invasive nucleus replacement technology. The DASCOR is a polyurethane device which has a modulus of elasticity similar to... more
