K2M Announces Technology Acquisition and Debut of BLUE RIDGE Hybrid Cervical Plate System at 2011 North American Spine Society Annual (press release)
LEESBURG, VA … November 1, 2011 – K2M, Inc., a spinal device company developing innovative solutions for the treatment of complex spinal pathologies and minimally invasive procedures, announced tomorrow’s debut of the BLUE RIDGE™ Hybrid Cervical Plate System at the 2011 North American Spine Society Annual Meeting (NASS) in Chicago. The launch will mark the tenth new product to be showcased by the company at NASS this year.
The investment in K2M by leading private equity firm Welsh, Carson, Anderson & Stowe one year ago has allowed the company to drive rapid organic growth and product innovation. This one-step locking technology acquired from Amendia and utilized in BLUE RIDGE allows K2M to offer innovative solutions to address all segments of the cervical plate market.
“While the industry adjusts to a challenging business environment, K2M is experiencing rapid growth as we continuously deliver on our promises to patients, physicians, and colleagues to provide a comprehensive portfolio as a leader in the global spine market,” stated Eric Major, K2M’s President and CEO.
Jeff Smith, President and CEO of Amendia, stated, “We are very excited about this new licensing agreement, the relationship developed with the K2M team, and look forward to mutual opportunities that may arise as Amendia continues to connect with its very innovative surgeon base and talented employees. Through K2M’s rigorous selection of our Cervical Plate Systems over the last year, Amendia feels strongly that our team’s efforts have been properly recognized and validated. K2M is a world class organization and we are very pleased to be a part of this transaction.”
Joining K2M’s existing portfolio of constrained and translational cervical plates, the BLUE RIDGE Hybrid Cervical Plate System features a simple to use nitinol locking mechanism that engages seamlessly during screw insertion and requires no additional locking steps. The system also supports fixed and variable screws, providing the flexibility to create constrained, semi-constrained, or hybrid screw constructs.
According to James Robinson, MD, designing neurosurgeon, “BLUE RIDGE provides incredible ease of use. You don’t feel any resistance as the screw passes the self-locking mechanism and, yet, it’s securely locked. Additionally, the unlocking tool is simple and intuitive.”
About K2M
K2M, Inc. is an innovative spinal device company committed to the research, development, and commercialization of simplified solutions for the treatment of complex spinal pathologies and minimally invasive procedures. The company is recognized as a worldwide leader in providing unique technologies for the treatment of deformity, degenerative, trauma, and tumor spinal patients. K2M’s complete portfolio of next generation products includes: spinal stabilization systems, minimally invasive systems, and other advancing technologies such as motion preservation, annular repair, and nucleus replacement. Additional information is available online at www.K2M.com.