New Pedicle Screw for Osteoporotic Patients

An innovative pedicle screw technology under development will provide a fusion solution for patients who suffer from osteoporosis or poor bone density.

The osteoporotic pedicle screw technology system is designed to be implanted into the pedicle and then expanded to achieve increased purchase if the surgeon desires a more secure fixation. Developed by Progressive Spinal Technologies (Baltimore, MD, USA), which specializes in orthopedic spinal implants, the technology will henceforth be further developed jointly with Alphatec Spine (Carlsbad, CA, USA).

The financial terms of the license agreement consist of an up-front license fee payment to be made by Alphatec to Progressive; testing, design, regulatory, and sales milestone payments that could begin to be achieved and paid by Alphatec to Progressive in 2008; and a royalty payment based on net sales of licensed products, with minimum annual royalties beginning in 2009 and ending in 2027.

"This product provides a revolutionary and unique solution to the spine surgeon in dealing with patients with poor bone quality,” said Dirk Kuyper, Alphatec's president and CEO. "Although aimed at providing a superior solution for poor bone quality patients, this pedicle screw may also become the new standard of care for all pedicle screw technology.”

"Progressive Spinal Technologies is extremely excited to work with Alphatec on this project. In the end it was Alphatec's commitment to meet the needs of underserved patients that convinced us that Alphatec was the right partner for this technology,” said Daniel Gelb, M.D., of the University of Maryland (Baltimore, USA) one of the designing surgeons and an equity holder of Progressive Spine.


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Alphatec Spine