During the first quarter conference call to discuss Orthofix's financial report, President and CEO Brad Mason spent time discussing its competitive advantage with the M6-C cervical disc and the company's biggest opportunity in the U.S.
Here are three quotes from the call, based on a transcript form Seeking Alpha:
On the M6-C cervical disc: We recently began the training and certification of U.S. surgeons with 16 leading surgeons already through the process. We had our first commercial patient implants of the M6-C disc. We will be executing a measured national rollout of the disc over the next several quarters with a significantly accelerating trajectory by ear end and we continue to have a very high level of interest and enthusiasm from physicians and distributors about the opportunities this disc presents.
On demand for disc replacements: There's 300 patients a year in the U.S. that fly over to Europe to get the M6 disc put in. It's very well known by patients. There's a lot of demand already built up in the U.S. … it's very close to the best reputation in the world, and so it is differentiated."
On the 15.7 percent drop in the extremities net sales: While [the extremity business is] typically choppy from quarter-to-quarter due to international stocking order cadence, this business remains solid with our biggest opportunity still in the U.S. foot and ankle and pediatric markets. Orthofix extremities remains an important part of our inorganic growth strategy and one of the fastest growing segments in orthopedics.