Ortoviva Distractor now in clinical use

LinkMed’s portfolio company Ortoviva’s new Distractor system for spinal surgery, which recently received CE approval, has successfully undergone clinical testing. This means the company has passed another important milestone on the path towards a commercial launch. The clinical tests were conducted by M.D. Svante Berg of the Stockholm Spine Center, Sweden’s largest and one of Scandinavia’s leading spine clinics, located at Löwenströmska Hospital in Upplands Väsby outside of Stockholm.

“Our work at the clinic has gone very well. This new version of Distractor makes it much easier for a surgeon to efficiently and precisely implant an artificial disc. It’s a technically ingenious solution that takes the development of spinal surgery instrumentation a significant step into the future,” says M.D. Berg.

Strong demand exists for truly effective instrument solutions that can help surgeons to simply and accurately implant an artificial disc without complications. Ortoviva’s Distractor is designed to perform implants using any of the disc prostheses manufactured by the leading producers.

“Of course we’re extremely pleased with the success of these tests and that the system works so smoothly in the clinical environment,” says Ortoviva’s CEO, Stan Mikulowski.

“Our hope, in the near future, is to make Distractor available to specialists who will be able to help surgeons perform consistent, high-quality frontal surgery in the lumbar region. We’re working to identify an industrial partner for Ortoviva’s global commercialization and these efforts are proceeding in parallel with the preparation of an FDA application for approval in the U.S. during the early part of 2009.”

Ortoviva develops instruments for spinal surgery that facilitate the deployment of artificial discs. The company was founded in October 2006 by LinkMed and a group of experts in bio-materials, spinal surgery and medical devices.

To see how Distractor works, go to: http://www.ortoviva.com/media/Distraktor.wmv


For more information contact:
Stan Mikulowski, CEO Ortoviva AB and VP Senior Venture Manager LinkMed
Phone: 01146 8 50 89 39 42

Also visit www.ortoviva.com and www.linkmed.se