It’s exciting to see another acquisition in motion preservation. After completing a 1-level IDE in the USA the Spinal Kinetics M6 is acquired by Orthofix, the newest player in the motion preservation market. Not that long ago LDR was acquired for $1B after receiving a 2-level cervical indication and Viscogliosi owned Centinel Spine bought back ProDisc after initial selling it in 2003. We can only speculate that DePuy Synthes would not give up the ProDisc had they not had plans for something better. There’s mounting evidence that first-generation ball-and-socket discs develop anterior and posterior ossifications and have abnormal and unnatural motion, especially considering the variability in surgeon placement.
This leaves AxioMed standing alone as the only fully private company with a leading next-generation viscoelastic disc replacement and the longest track record in advanced disc design beginning with Dr Art Steffee and the AcroFlex disc. In the next 3 to 5 years we feel that there will be market shifting developments in the spinal motion preservation market including patient demand, insurance reimbursement, and surgeon acceptance. AxioMed will continue to lead from our viscoelastic platform to include lateral lumbar disc, multilevel cervical indications, disc designs to correct coronal alignment, and facet replacement.
