9 New Spine Products From K2M at NASS

     K2M Continues its Momentum with Nine New Products at 2011 North American Spine Society Annual Meeting (press release) K2M, Inc., a spinal device company developing innovative solutions for the treatment of complex spinal pathologies and minimally invasive procedures, today announced it will introduce five new products at the North American Spine Society (NASS) 26th Annual [...]

4 New Spine Products From Globus Medical at NASS

  Globus Medical to Highlight New MIS and Deformity Products at the North American Spine Society Annual Meeting Audubon, Pa.-based spinal implant company Globus Medical recently announced it will be highlighting new minimally invasive spine surgery and deformity products at the North American Spine Society annual meeting, according to a Globus news release. The company [...]

Messy Details Emerge Regarding Stryker’S Sale of OP-1 to Olympus for $60M

      Stryker to sell OP-1 to Olympus to $60M for all bone applications (news from Dec 2010) The Forecast Calls for Pain (The Spine Blogger) INSIGHT-Anatomy of a costly biotech deal for Olympus (Reuters) * $60 mln purchase of Stryker assets may cost 50 pct more * Olympus made $25 mln loan to NY firm to [...]

Social Networking and Online Marketing Efforts Have a Real ROI for Orthopedic Practices

        Social networking, online marketing efforts have real return on investment (OrthoSuperSite) This month’s 4 Questions interview is with Gregory J. Chang, a health care administrator at Duke University, who has been involved in their online marketing and social networking. I believe his insights into how orthopedic surgeons may enhance their practices through online marketing and social networking [...]

There Is an Overuse of MRIs by Sports Medicine Orthopedists

         Sports Medicine Said to Overuse M.R.I.’s (Gina Kolata @ NY Times) Dr. James Andrews, a widely known sports medicine orthopedist in Gulf Breeze, Fla., wanted to test his suspicion that M.R.I.’s, the scans given to almost every injured athlete or casual exerciser, might be a bit misleading. So he scanned the shoulders [...]

What Are the Changes in Surgeon Payments After the DOJ Settlement Are Done?

         Post-DOJ Settlement, Researchers Note Changes in Payment Patterns (written by Lauren Uzdienski @ HealthPointCapital) A new study published in the Archives of Internal Medicine sought to analyze changes in payments to orthopedic surgeons following five orthopedic manufacturers’ 2007 settlement with the DOJ. What they found between 2007 and today was a decrease in the number [...]

New HipSextant Is a Simple Mechanical Navigation System That Aligns the Hip Cups Intraoperatively

          HipSextant website HipSextant™ Navigation System Receives Its First Commercial Use (press release) Device Aligns Hip Implant Cup (written by Biloine Young @ OTW) According to an October 18 press release, a surgical instrument to better align an artificial hip implant’s cup was used for the first time commercially at Putnam Hospital Center [...]

Arthrosurface Launches the World’S 1st Talus Resurfacing Implant for the Ankle

  Arthrosurface Launches World’s First Talus Resurfacing Implant for the Ankle (press release) Arthrosurface, Inc. (www.arthrosurface.com), the developer of less-invasive joint resurfacing systems, announced that it has launched its HemiCAP® Talus Resurfacing System for damage to the ankle inEurope and other international markets.  Prior to commercialization, the HemiCAP® Talus System was tested by well known Foot and [...]

10 Foot and Ankle Surgeons on the Move

   10 Foot and Ankle Surgeons on the Move (written by Laura Miller @ Beckers) Here are 10 foot and ankle surgeons and specialists on the move in 2011. 1) Foot and ankle specialist Michael Campbell, MD, recently joined Atlantic Orthopaedic Specialists in Chesapeake, Va. He completed his fellowship at Penn State Milton Hershey (Pa.) Medical Center. [...]

Minnesota Representative Erik Paulsen Is Raising Money to Rein in the FDA’S Uncertain Approval Process

    Venture Capitalists Put Money on Easing Medical Device Rules (NY Times) One afternoon last spring, a little-known congressman from Minnesota made an impassioned plea before a House oversight committee. Representative Erik Paulsen favors legislation that would benefit the medical device industry. Rein in the Food and Drug Administration’s uncertain approval process for new medical devices, [...]

Report: Biotech Funding Trends & Observations From 2007 – 2011

      The new normal for biotech (Ernst & Young) Pressures on the business model: funding There’s good and bad news about biotech funding in 2010. The good news: Across the US, Europe and Canada, biotech companies raised US$25 billion in 2010. This is about the same as the average during the four years preceding [...]

Report: Predicts That Motion Preserving Spinal Non-Fusion Procedures Will Growth Into 2017

    Companies & Markets: Global Spinal Surgery Devices Market Forecast to Reach USD 12.6 Billion in 2017 (press release) Spinal Surgery Devices Market to 2017 – Motion Preserving Spinal Non-Fusion Procedures to Drive Long Term Growth. The global market for medical spinal surgery devices is forecast to reach $12.6 billion in 2017 at a CAGR [...]

Analysis: Patients Are Delaying Joint Replacement Surgery and Affecting Device Sales

  As patients put up with pain, device sales suffer (Reuters) Orthopedic surgeon John Tongue sees more patients these days who are in pain and deciding to do nothing about it. As it gets harder for them to walk, some find hip or knee replacement surgery a compelling option. But many of Tongue’s patients have another [...]

Million-Dollar Payments to Orthopedic Surgeons Raise Questions

    Study evaluates industry payments to orthopedic surgeons (press release) Million-dollar payments to surgeons raise questions (Reuters Health) Orthopedic surgeons have received hundreds of millions of dollars from joint implant manufacturers in recent years, according to a report released Monday. In 2007, five device makers said they had paid surgeons more than $198 million, with 43 [...]

Modular Locking Small Fragment System Developed by Internal Fixation Systems

         Internal Fixation Systems website Internal Fixation Systems, Inc. Announces Sale of Modular Locking Small Fragment System MIAMI, Oct. 24, 2011 /PRNewswire/ — Internal Fixation Systems, Inc. (OTC QB: IFIX) today announces that it has commenced offering for sale the initial modules (consisting of basic instruments and screws and 1/3 tubular plates) of its FDA [...]

Semprus BioSciences Wins $1M Army Grant to Develop “Anti-Biofilm Trauma Devices”

      Semprus BioSciences Awarded $1 Million U.S. Army Grant to Develop “Anti-Biofilm Trauma Devices” for American Soldiers in Battle (press release) Semprus BioSciences today announced it has received a $1 million grant from the U.S. Army Telemedicine & Advanced Technology Research Center (TATRC) to develop the world’s first orthopedic devices designed to reduce biofilm [...]

News and Trends From the EuroSpine Meeting in Milan

  News and Trends at Eurospine (written by Lauren Uzdienski @ HealthPointCapital) This week we attended Eurospine in Milan, and we came away noticing three trends. One, VCF technologies are continuing to generate a lot of interest, despite the damper the NEJM studies may have placed on these products in the U.S. Also notable was the increasing prominence [...]

Biologic Therapies Opens and Begins a Quest to Market a “Autologous Orthobiologic Therapy”

      Biologic Therapies, Inc. Begins Operations with Groundbreaking New Medical Devices (press release) It was announced today that a new medical device company, Biologic Therapies, Inc., has begun operations in Ocala, Florida. Biologic Therapies specializes in the design and manufacturing of components for the biologics sector of the medical device industry. The company was [...]

British Surgeons Are Using the TiGenix Technology to Re-Grow Knee Cartilage

        Brits Re-Grow Knee Cartilage (written by Biloine Young @ OTW) A 50-year-old British mother is pain free for the first time in six years, she says, after undergoing a revolutionary new treatment to have her damaged knee cartilage re-grown. This is the first time the re-growth treatment was used outside of clinical [...]

TranS1 Wins Another Major Insurance Coverage Based on New Clinical Results

  TranS1 Inc. gets business boost (StarNews Online) TranS1 Inc. has received a boost to its business. A major health insurer in New Jersey has decided to reimburse the costs of the medical-device company’s minimally invasive lumbar spinal fusion procedure. The Wilmington-based company’s AxiaLIF procedure is like other spinal fusion surgeries with the exception that the spine [...]

3 US Multi-Center Stem Cell Trials Are Underway – Injecting Cells Into the Disc, the Annulus and the Fractured Vertebra

     Spine Stem Cell Trials Underway (written by Bilioine Young @ OTW) Dr. Hyun Bae, co-director of the spine fellowship program at Cedars-Sinai Spine Center, Los Angeles, was among the first surgeons to use growth factor tissue engineering for intervertebral discs and multilevel artificial disc replacements for both the lumbar and cervical spine. Now he [...]

Zimmer Spine to Distribute Benvenue Medical’S KIVA System for Treatment of Vertebral Compression Fractures

        Zimmer Spine and Benvenue Medical Enter Exclusive Distribution Agreement for Kiva® VCF Treatment System (press release) Zimmer Holdings, Inc [http://www.zimmer.com ]. (NYSE: ZMH; SIX: ZMH), a global leader in musculoskeletal care, and Benvenue Medical, Inc [http://www.benvenuemedical.com ]., a U.S.-based developer of minimally invasive solutions for spine repair, today announced at the 2011 [...]

TranS1 Received a Subpoena Under the Federal Healthcare Fraud and False Claims Statutes

    Feds subpoena TranS1 in fraud probe (MassDevice) TranS1 Subpoenaed. No Accusations Made (written by Walter Eisner @ OTW) TranS1, Inc. has received a subpoena from the Office of Inspector General (OIG) of the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS). The subpoena was issued under the authority of the federal healthcare fraud and false [...]

Former Depuy Spokesmodel Sues the Company After Her ASR Hip Implant Failed

     Former Depuy spokesmodel sues after hip implant leaves her in crippling pain (MassDevice) Former gymnast and Depuy Orthopaedics “poster lady” Penny Brown says she feels guilty that she might have encouraged others to get the artificial hip implant that left her in pain. A former spokesmodel for Depuy has joined a U.K. lawsuit against [...]

Could Stapling Become the New Temporary Scoliosis Fix?

    Stapling – A New Scoliosis Fix (written by Biloine Young @ OTW) A four-year-old California girl, named Grace, is romping about much like any other child her age, thanks to pioneering surgery by University of California-San Francisco orthopedic surgeon Dr. Mohammad Diab. Grace has severe scoliosis and instead of proscribing a heavy torso-covering plastic [...]

Expanding Orthopedics Initiates Study to Measure Pedicle Screw Performance in Germany

  Pedicle Screw Study Launched (written by Biloine Young @ OTW) Expanding Orthopedics Inc. (EOI), based in Israel, has launched a post-market study in Europe of its XPED Expanding Pedicle Screw System for spinal fusion. Up to 50 patients will be enrolled in the multi-center study which will be led by the spine team of [...]

For Sale: Patents Covering Posterolateral Lumbar Disc Arthroplasty

  Novel Medical Device Patent Portfolio for Posterolateral Lumbar Disc Arthroplasty Offered for Sale by ICAP Patent Brokerage (press release) Key attributes of the patents are: Maintain and re-tension of the ALL, the PLL, and the annulus Maintain the supraspinous ligament and interspinous ligaments Unload the facets Works with or without facets Allows for hyper mobile [...]

Report Predicts That Verebroplasty Procedures Will Catch Up With Kyphoplasty Procedures

MedMarket Report:  Vertebral Compression Fracture Treatment Technologies   Vertebral compression fractures result primarily from osteoporosis and the consequent weakening of bones, including those in the spine. VCFs can result in tremendous back pain both in the short and long term. Because the injured vertebra is compressed and loses height, kyphotic deformity of that particular vertebra [...]

K2M Debuts 2 New Spine Implants at Neurology Meeting

    K2M website K2M Debuts Spine Surgery Products at CNS (written by Walter Eisner @ OTW) K2M, Inc. introduced two cervical products at the recent Congress of Neurological Surgeons’ (CNS) meeting in Washington, D.C. The first, the Chesapeake Cervical-Ti Stabilization System is a multi-screw construct providing stability to the anterior column, while reducing the need [...]

Angel Investments on the Rise in Early-Stage Medtech, While VC Investments Wane

  Early-stage angel investment rises, but early-stage VC funding falls (MassDevice) Venture capital investment is on the wane, but angel investment is increasing, according to a pair of recent reports. The University of New Hampshire’s Center for Venture Research reports that angel investment rose nearly 5 percent during the first and second quarters, to $8.9 billion, [...]

An Idea to Stop the Medical Tourism Issue of 500,000 Americans Having Surgery Overseas

   Bringing Medical Tourism Home: “All In” Orthopedic Surgery Pricing American Style (written by Blair Rhode, MD for Beckers) Thinking of going abroad for medical care because of cost…think again. America has the best healthcare on the planet — bar none. The world’s wealthy people come to the US for their care. But yet we have 500,000 Americans [...]

Orthopedic Surgeons Have One of the Highest Incomes of the Medical Specialties

     Ortho Surgeons’ Incomes Near Top (written by Biloine Young @ OTW) How do orthopedic surgeons’ incomes compare to those of other surgical specialities? As it turns out, not too bad. According to the September 2011 released Physician Compensation and Production Survey: 2011 Report Based on 2010 Data, only a few surgical specialties received more compensation [...]

House Democrats Request Hearings on Metal-on-Metal Hips… Caused “Significant Harm to Human health”

      House Democrats Request Hearings on Metal-on-Metal (written by Lauren Uzdienzki @ HealthPointCapital) Democrats from the House Energy and Commerce Committee have asked Republican leaders to hold hearings on metal-on-metal hips and brain stents. In a letter, Democrats said these devices have caused “significant harm to human health”. Bloomberg writes that the FDA has received more [...]

Report Confirms FDA Is Scaring Off Venture Capital Investments in Medtech

Report Confirms Venture Capital at Risk in Medtech (Orthopedic Design & Technology) Venture capitalists in the United States are decreasing their investments in biopharmaceutical and medical device companies, reducing their concentration in prevalent disease areas and shifting investment away from the United States toward Europe and Asia, according to a report released today by the National [...]

AdvaMed Report: the State of the U.S. Med-Tech Industry – 2010 Versus 2009

    The state of U.S. med-tech: An industry snapshot (MassDevice) The medical device sector was on the rebound in 2010 after a less-than-stellar 2009 performance, according to the latest report from industry lobby AdvaMed. Revenues for publicly traded companies grew to $205 billion in 2010, a 4 percent increase from the $197 billion reported in [...]

10 Spine Surgeons Discuss How They Are Using BMPs Today

      How Are Spine Surgeons Using BMP Today? 10 Surgeon Responses (written by Laura Miller @ Beckers) These 10 spine surgeons were asked how they were using BMP in their practice and whether these current controversies have influenced the way they use the product. Neel Anand, MD, Director of Orthopedic Spine Surgery, Cedars-Sinai Spine [...]

Israeli Back Pain Device Company Lands $3.5M Investment, Plans Akron Move

      Nervomatrix website Israeli back pain device company lands $3.5M investment, plans Akron move (MedCity News) Israeli pain-relief neurostimulation device company Nervomatrix has received a $3.5 million series A investment and is planning to set up its North American sales and marketing headquarters in Akron, Ohio. The funding comes entirely from Akron-based Everett Partners, and the Israeli [...]

Study: Patients With Pain After Total Knee Replacement Are More Likely to Have a Poor Outcomes

      Pain After TKR Ominous Sign (written by Biloine Young @ OTW) Experiencing pain before knee replacement surgery can be a trial, but being in pain following the surgery can be a disaster. Dr. Jeffrey N. Katz, professor of medicine and orthopedic surgery at Harvard Medical School, has found that patients who experience severe [...]

A Stem Cell Research Center With a Focus on Osteoarthritis Opens in the UK

        UK Opens Stem Cell Research Center (written by Biloine Young @ OTW) Scientists at Newcastle University and Arthritis Research, in the United Kingdom, are joining the international campaign to successfully regenerate bone and cartilage, damaged by degenerative joint disease, through the use of a patient’s own stem cells. The research, if successful, could [...]

Five Things Industry Can Do to Support True FDA Reform, and Restore Public Confidence

      Five Things Industry Can Do to Support True FDA Reform, and Restore Public Confidence (written by Luke Timmerman @ Xconomy) 1. Support an increase in the FDA budget. 2. Voluntarily ban all direct-to-consumer TV advertising. 3. Support legislation to ban FDA advisory committee members with conflicts of interest. 4. Full disclosure of FDA complete response letters. 5. Finance [...]

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February 22, 2012

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