Category: Knees

OMNIlife inks distribution deal with French artificial hip maker

March 12, 2010 by MassDevice staff

OMNIlife Science Inc. will be the exclusive U.S. distributor of articulation technology used in artificial hips made by a French maker of orthopedic and dental implants.

Taunton, Mass.-based OMNIlife said the deal with Societe d'Etudes Recherches Fabrication-Dedienne Sante will begin as soon as the company receives regulatory approval from the Food & Drug Administration. Further terms of the deal were not announced.

Prochon Biotech updates BioCart study

March 4, 2010 by MassDevice staff

ProChon Biotech Ltd. says it will likely release the results from expanded clinical trials of its BioCart knee cartilage repair treatment by June.

The Woburn, Mass.-based company, which recently raised about $4 million in a convertible bridge loan to finance the trials, said it's about halfway through the patient enrollment process in the Phase II study and expects results to be released in three months.

ProChon is developing a system to repair damaged cartilage called the BioCart system, which uses proprietary fibroblast growth factor technology to help regenerate damaged cartilage in the knee.

FDA panel to re-evaluate ReGen Biologics' Menaflex implant

March 3, 2010 by MassDevice staff

A decision by the Food & Drug Administration, which led to a very public mea culpa by the agency and more than a few bloody noses, will get a second look later this month.

The Menaflex knee implant, manufactured by ReGen Biologics Inc., will go back before the Orthopaedic and Rehabilitation Devices Panel on March 23, according to a press release from the Center for Devices and Radiological Health.

Analyst: Hip and knee replacement markets "stable to improving"

January 6, 2010 by MassDevice staff

An analyst at Leerink-Swann investment bank is bullish on the hip and knee markets, writing that they're in a "stable-to-improving mode" despite pricing pressures and a sluggish European economy.

In an email to investors, Leerink analyst Rick Wise said second-quarter earnings results at Warsaw, Ind.-based orthopedic device maker Biomet Inc. could be a harbinger for a steadily improving orthopedics market.

UPDATE: Stryker closes $525 million Ascent Healthcare Solutions buyout

January 4, 2010 by MassDevice staff

Stryker Corp. (NYSE:SYK) is getting into the medical device reprocessing and remanufacturing business with a bang, closing its $525 million cash on Ascent Healthcare Solutions.

Kalamazoo, Mich.-based Stryker said it plans to add Ascent and its roster of 1,800 hospital and group purchasing organization customers to its MedSurg segment, where it will operate under its own banner.

ProChon Biotech expands Biocart clinical trial

December 14, 2009 by MassDevice staff

ProChon Biotech Ltd. expanded a clinical trial of its Biocart knee cartilage regeneration system from one medical center to 10, a move that CEO Patrick O'Donnell told MassDevice puts ProChon on track to bring the technology to market in the U.S. and the European Union in 2014.

O'Donnell, who heads up a new management team that took over in January, said the expansion will also help raise the profile of a company that's largely flown under the radar until now.

NuOrtho Surgical lands $1 million Series B round

November 17, 2009 by MassDevice staff

NuOrtho Surgical Inc. drummed up another $1 million in financing, in a Series B round raised from private investors.

The Fall River, Mass.-based company, which is developing a probe that uses low-level radio frequencies to smooth and contour frayed or torn knee cartilage, raised $1 million in a March Series A round.

The new round will go toward applying for 510(k) clearance from the Food & Drug Administration and scaling up its manufacturing operations ahead of a planned 2010 launch.