NuVasive Inc. (NSDQ:NUVA) said today that the U.K.’s National Industry for Clinical Excellence issued updated guidance which supports the use of lateral interbody fusion in the lumbar spine, including its eXtreme Lateral Interbody Fusion procedure.
The San Diego-based company touted that the majority of the evidence submitted to NICE to support the guidance change came from peer-reviewed journal articles covering over 14-years of data from the company’s XLIF procedure.
“Our continued investment into clinical research and outcomes data from our XLIF procedure was supportive in NICE releasing updated guidance for this innovative surgical approach. Our team has worked diligently with NICE since 2015 to gather, analyze and review the available evidence. The updated guidance further supports the clinical efficacy of XLIF and will help expand the availability of XLIF to back pain sufferers in the U.K. and around the world,” prez & COO Jason Hannon said in a press release.
Initial NICE guidance for lateral interbody fusion was published in 2009, NuVasive said, with the new guidance supported by more than 200 previously published studies on such procedures.
Last month, the Economic Development and Growth Engine for Tennessee’s Memphis and Shelby County approved a $9 million, 11-year PILOT tax incentive for NuVasive, which has distribution operations in Memphis.
The company is planning to add 15 jobs yearly with average yearly wages of $38,000, and invest an additional $116 million in its Memphis distribution site, according to the report.