The artificial disc market, at least in the US, has yet to take off. In 2009, sales of artificial discs reached close to $150 million a far cry from the $1+ billion projected in 2005. So what happened and what does the future hold?
The Artificial Disc Bust: Lessons Learned
Article preview from Medtech Insight - August, 2010
Five years ago, more than a billion and a half dollars was spent on acquisitions of four artificial disc companies and millions more were poured into research and development and regulatory studies on artificial disc technologies by major spine companies and venture capital firms. Today, there are more than 50 artificial disc products on the market or under development worldwide for lumbar and cervical indications. Presentations at the recent Spine Arthroplasty Society (SAS) meeting (now renamed the International Society for the Advancement of Spine Surgery) demonstrated that many of these products continue to generate positive long-term Level 1 clinical data up to five years with results, in some cases, superior and less costly than fusion. However, the artificial disc market, at least in the US, has yet to take off. In 2009, sales of artificial discs reached close to $150 million—a far cry from the $1+ billion projected in 2005. So what happened and what does the future hold?
There are five artificial discs currently on the US market. Synthes Inc., the only company that has both lumbar and cervical discs approved, is the market leader with the ProDisc and ProDisc-C. Synthes dominates both the $50-million lumbar and $100-million US cervical market with a commanding 75% market share. Medtronic Inc. has two approved cervical discs, the Bryan and Prestige LP, and DePuy Inc. (a Johnson & Johnson company) has the SB Charité, approved for lumbar applications. Medtronic's foray into the lumbar artificial disc segment with the Maverick was cut short when Synthes won a patent infringement suit and was awarded a permanent injunction and $21 million in damages against the company after Medtronic completed an expensive IDE (Investigational Device Exemption) study that was powered to show superiority. It is unlikely that the Maverick will ever appear on the US market.
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