Smith & Nephew Endoscopy Launches FOOTPRINT PK Suture
By Elizabeth Hofheinz (posted April 29, 2008)
Just try to follow in their footsteps! Smith & Nephew's Endoscopy Division has announced the launch of the FOOTPRINT PK Suture Anchor, a system used to attach rotator cuff tissue to bone in the shoulder. The anchor is making its debut at the Arthroscopy Association of North America (AANA) Spring Meeting, happening this week in Washington, D.C.

Study Finds Some Tendon Problems Related to Statins
By Elizabeth Hofheinz (posted April 2, 2008)
According to Doctor’s Guide, results published in the March 15, 2008, issue of Arthritis Care & Research indicate that rare tendon complications may be somehow related to statin use.

Debated Shoulder Surgery Has Merit After All
By Elizabeth Hofheinz (posted March 28, 2008)
As announced by The American Orthopaedic Society for Sports Medicine, in the long run, young, athletic, first-time shoulder dislocation patients benefit from arthroscopic surgery. So says a study done by Robert A. Arciero, M.D., of the Keller Army Hospital in West Point, New York. The study found that for highly active patients, surgery, rather than conservative methods, yielded excellent results.

Shoulders Are the 3rd Most Replaced Joint in America!
By Dev Joshi (posted March 18, 2008)
It ain’t a hip joint, but that shoulder is, increasingly, where the action is in orthopedics. Baby boomers are hitting the magic age for shoulder pain, so we took a dive into PearlDiver’s 100+ million Patient Record Database to see what this market looks like. Bottom line: It’s the real deal.

Wright Medical: What’s Behind the Recent Surge in Extremities?
By Dev Joshi (posted February 12, 2008)
Wright Medical Group, Inc. is one of the oldest suppliers of extremity implants and holds the #1 market share position in the hand and finger market. But in the last two years, Wright’s rate of extremity product sales growth has accelerated and, based on its latest product innovations, it appears as though that growth rate will continue. Read on.

Getting the Money Shot—Increasingly Affordable MRIs for Knees and Extremities
By Robin Young (posted February 5, 2008)
Nailing the diagnosis and setting up treatment for knees and extremities means getting the “money shot.” Increasingly that requires the gold standard for soft tissue imaging—magnetic resonance imaging (MRI). But when was the last time you heard the words “fast, cheap, and easy” in the same sentence as “MRI?” Never? Well, now you will.

Ascension Orthopedics Goes Global With the TITAN™ Humeral Resurfacing Device
By Elizabeth Hofheinz (posted February 1, 2008)
Post-beta success! Ascension Orthopedics, Inc. has announced that following its winning U.S. beta site launch, the TITAN™ humeral resurfacing device is now available to help people worldwide who suffer from debilitating shoulder disorders.

Nailing the Rotator Cuff Market
By Dev Joshi (posted January 15, 2008)
Rotator cuff sprains and ruptures count as two of the top five reported shoulder diagnoses in the PearlDiver database. Out of 3.7 million patients in the PearlDiver extremities database, 1.6 million are there due to shoulder pain complaints. What’s it all mean? Read on.

Rotator Cuff Repair Gets New Knotless Fixation System
By Robin Young (posted December 13, 2007)
ArthroCare announced last week the launch of the latest upgrade to its popular AutoCuff® System family of products. It is the Opus® TwinLock™ Knotless Fixation System, which was designed by ArthroCare to provide orthopedic surgeons with a simpler, faster process for performing arthroscopic rotator cuff repairs.

INBONE™ Launches New Fusion Clinical Study
By Elizabeth Hofheinz (posted December 6, 2007)
In conclusion, it’s faster fusion (OK, the results are still early). INBONE Technologies has announced that early results are showing that the INBONE™ Fusion System can accelerate the fusion rate to an average 4- to 8-week timeframe, with non-union rates at a very low 2%.

A New “Wave” of Extremity Treatment?
By Dev Joshi (posted November 27, 2007)
Addressing a market of more than a quarter of a million patients annually with a $5,000-8,000 treatment sounds like the next multibillion-dollar market. FDA approved, but controversial. What is Extracorporeal Shock Wave Therapy and why should we care? Read on.

SBi Introduces Next-Generation RingFIX™ System and Forefoot Repair Set
By Elizabeth Hofheinz (posted October 25, 2007)
Some patients may be walking on pins, but that doesn’t mean they’re not walking with confidence. Small Bone Innovations, Inc. (SBi) is announcing the launch of the next-generation model of its RingFIX™ Circular Fixation System to treat diseases and trauma of the lower limb such as Charcot foot.

SBi Rolls Out New Elbow Products
By Elizabeth Hofheinz (posted October 10, 2007)
Some patients’ successful treatment hinges on those who pay attention to extremities. Small Bone Innovations (SBi) is listening. SBi has launched a new prosthetic device called the rHead™.

Wright Medical Signs Exclusive Agreement to Distribute A.M. Surgical’s Foot and Ankle Product Line
By Elizabeth Hofheinz (posted October 8, 2007)
Wright Medical Group, Inc. has announced its entry into a ten-year exclusive worldwide license and distribution agreement with A.M. Surgical, Inc., a Smithtown, New York-based company that develops endoscopic soft tissue release products for orthopedic and foot and ankle surgeons.

Small Bone Innovations Makes Research Grant to the American Foundation for Surgery of the Hand
By Elizabeth Hofheinz (posted October 3, 2007)
A hand up for hands…Small Bone Innovations, Inc. (SBi) has announced a $250,000 unrestricted grant to the American Foundation for Surgery of the Hand (AFSH). The three-year grant will fund research on treatments for arthritis, such as arthroplasty, in the upper limbs from the fingertips to the elbow.

Smith & Nephew Debuts Suture Anchor for Rotator Cuff Injuries
By Elizabeth Hofheinz (posted September 28, 2007)
Tennis aficionados, yoga buffs, and Joe Mainstreet can now have shoulder surgery without getting tied up in knots. Smith & Nephew's Endoscopy Division has announced the launch of its KINSA RC 5.5 Suture Anchor, designed for the secure repair of shoulder injuries stemming from tears to the rotator cuff.

SBi Launches Locking Plate for Wrist Injuries
By Elizabeth Hofheinz (posted September 28, 2007)
The extremities gurus at SBi have found their newest fate…the plate! Small Bone Innovations, Inc. (SBi) has launched its new PRECISE SD™Volar Distal Radius Locking Plate system.

SBi Debuts Artelon® STT Spacer for Thumb Arthritis
By Elizabeth Hofheinz (posted September 28, 2007)
Opposable digit, but no opposition here. Small Bone Innovations, Inc. (SBi) announces FDA approval for its Artelon® STT Spacer. The STT is the fourth such degradable implants from SBi, with two more planned for the future.

Scient'x Doubles 510(k) Clearance With DUO™ Dynamic Stabilization System
First there was one level...now there are two. Scient'x announced on May 6 that it had received FDA 510(k) clearance to market its new Isobar DUO™ Dynamic Stabilization System.

Alphatec Ponies Up $11 Million Settlement for ‘678 Patent
"Alphatec can now achieve some certainty." That's what Alphatec's President and CEO, Dirk Kuyper, told us at the SAS annual meeting in Miami Beach. He was referring to his company's announcement that its 2006 lawsuit with Biedermann and DePuy over the ‘678 pedicle screw patent is settled.

Abbott Spine’s Universal Clamp™ Now Available Stateside
The Universal Clamp™ spinal fixation system, developed by Abbott Spine, may now be enjoyed by Americans. The implant, which has been available in Europe for over a year, can be used to correct a wide variety of complex spinal pathologies including sagittal and coronal malalignment, as well as degenerative conditions of the thoracolumbar spine.

Facet Solutions, Inc. Completes Combination Facet Joint and Disc Replacement Study
It’s the motion in Miami…Facet Solutions, Inc. is announcing the successful completion of a scientific evaluation for a total joint reconstruction in the lumbar spine. The study evaluated the combination of Facet Solutions’ Anatomic Facet Replacement System (AFRS™) with a semi-constrained disc replacement device in a finite element model.

Biologic Bummer for Stryker in Beantown
Stryker's stock stopped trading for 16 minutes before resuming on Friday, May 2. The reason was because Stryker was about to announce that its Biotech division, in the Boston suburb of Hopkinton, had received a warning letter from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) related to quality systems and compliance issues.

MAKO’s Robot Zaps 1st Quarter Expectations
MAKO Surgical Corp. reported 2008 first quarter revenues of $500,000. Analysts had expected revenues of only $300,000. The company markets its Tactile Guidance System™ (TGS™), an advanced robotic-arm solution, and its implants for minimally invasive orthopedic knee procedures, known as MAKOplasty®.

Shake Up at Medtronic Sofamor Danek
We were frankly surprised as were many people both inside and outside the company to hear of Pete Wehrly’s sudden departure from Medtronic Sofamor Danek day before yesterday. Mr. Wehrly, 49, was the President of Medtronic Sofamor Danek and the abruptness of his departure followed by Medtronic’s extreme caution in commenting adds additional mystery to the circumstances of Pete’s leaving.

DePuy Puts 3 Million Sq. Ft. to Work in China
DePuy products have gone into production in Suzhou, China. Tradingmarkets.com reported on April 25 that Johnson & Johnson Medical (DePuy-Suzhou) Ltd. has started operations at its first Chinese facility to produce medical equipment in the Suzhou Industrial Park in eastern China.

Smith & Nephew Endoscopy Launches FOOTPRINT PK Suture
Just try to follow in their footsteps! Smith & Nephew's Endoscopy Division has announced the launch of the FOOTPRINT PK Suture Anchor, a system used to attach rotator cuff tissue to bone in the shoulder.

Put on Your Futuristic Headgear: Immersion Medical and GMV Sign Agreement for Reality Arthroscopy Simulation System
So much for skiddishness about minimally invasive surgery…Immersion Corporation, a touch feedback technology firm, and GMV, an engineering firm, have announced that Immersion Medical, a wholly owned subsidiary of Immersion, and GMV have signed an agreement whereby Immersion Medical will market and sell GMV's insightArthroVR® virtual reality arthroscopy surgical simulator in most countries around the world.

Zimmer Revenues On Target for First Quarter. Disappoints Investors
Zimmer reported first quarter 2008 revenues (constant currency) on April 24. Total Revenues: up 6.2% to $1.06 billion. The company also announced a $1.25 billion stock repurchasing program and reaffirmed earlier guidance for the year of 6%–7% revenue growth (in constant currency).

Physician Disciplinary Actions Decline 22% Since 2004
With the current hyper-vigilant focus on surgeon and industry relationships, it begs the question: Are disciplinary actions against physicians increasing or decreasing?

Frost & Sullivan Shines Light on Raymedica
Feelin’ hot, hot, hot! Frost & Sullivan has named Raymedica, LLC, as winner of the 2008 Frost & Sullivan Hot Investment Opportunity Award.

NuVasive Revenues Break Expectations, Lukianov Waives HIPAA
The NuVasive Chairman and CEO waived all his HIPAA rights during a first quarter 2008 conference call with analysts on April 22 when asked about his own back surgery. He said he's doing very well after his two-level XLIF® procedure, thank you very much.

Good News for Lower Extremities: Archus Completes First Human Implant of TFAS-C™ System
They’ve come to a conclusion: Some patients can be done with fusion. The reconstructive implant aficionados at Archus Orthopedics, Inc. have announced the successful completion of the first human implant of their TFAS-C™ system, the newest addition to the company's product line for treating spinal stenosis.

DePuy Launches Spine System for Small-Stature Patients
DePuy Spine has launched a titanium and stainless steel hook, rod and screw system designed to treat complex spinal deformities in small-stature patients.

BoundaryMedical Inc. Launches Orthopedic Outcome Measurement Software
BoundaryMedical, Inc. may be able to streamline things. It has just introduced the new Outcome Enterprise™ Study Manager platform for measuring outcomes relating to orthopedic treatments.

People in the News

Jack Maertens Joins Theken Family of Companies as VP of Marketing

Mike McCarthy Joins Board at Facet Solutions

Patrick O’Donnell Joins Medical Capital Advisors

St. Francis Founder Joins Active Implants’ Board

Upcoming Conferences

SpineWeek
May 26 - 31, 2008 – Geneva, Switzerland

CMSA's 18th Annual Conference & Expo
June 17 - 20, 2008 – Orlando, Florida

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