Does the US really want less invasive spine technologies?
(LinkedIn article written by David Hooper, Founder and CEO of Minimus Spine)
I have been working in the spine industry for 18 years. I started my career with Spinal Concepts in 1999- three years into its run. We were developing pedicle screws, cervical plates and interbody cages. We were one of a handful of companies competing against much larger players. Today, it is difficult to count how many small companies are fighting it out in the 'hardware' business. Spinal Concepts was everything a successful start up should be: great people, interesting work, opportunities for advancement and a nice exit.
Spinal Concepts was acquired by Abbott Laboratories in 2003 and the mandate was to grow the business. The grand strategy was to commercialize products to treat patients earlier in the continuum of care, less invasively, and to reduce cost. The industry, as a whole, has been echoing these tenets for years with little to show for it.
I started Minimus Spine in 2006 to do my small part in accomplishing the grand strategy. While discectomy and fusion can effectively reduce pain for many patients, its a scary proposition and does not ...
