Spinal Tech

The Wall Street Journal reported today about federal and state investigations into an extensive network of physician-owned distributors. See Surgeons Eyed Over Deals with Medical Device Makers, WSJ July 26, 2013.

Carlsbad, Calif.-based Aurora Spine received European CE Mark for its ZIP MIS Interspinous Fusion System.

SpineGuard, based in Paris and San Francisco, reported its revenue up 27 percent in the first half of the year over the same period last year.

Gainesville, Fla.-based Exactech posted a 9.2 percent increase in gross profit in the second quarter over the same period last year.

Australia's Department of Health and Aging's Therapeutic Goods Administration issued a hazard alert for Stryker Australia's Oasys Midline Occipital Plate, a device used for spine fusion stabilization.

IMRIS's VISIUS iCT ceiling-mounted intraoperative computed tomography device received FDA 510(k) clearance.

Donald Gajewski, MD, is developing the IDEO device for foot and leg problems at the Center for Intrepid, part of Brooke Army Medical Center, in Fort Sam Houston, Texas.

Here are eight recent orthopedic and spine device launches and releases.

Biomet to Close Swiss Device Plant With 230 Employees Warsaw, Ind.-based Biomet is downsizing its operations and cutting a Swiss manufacturing facility with 230 workers.

Data released from the Canadian Institutes for Health Information show five-year revision rates for total hip replacement procedures to be low, though metal-on-metal implants bring slightly higher rates, according to The Windsor Star.