J&J's DePuy Synthes Buys Bone Fixation Company Biomedical Enterprises
By Jof Enriquez,
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DePuy Orthopaedics, part of Johnson & Johnson's DePuy Synthes subsidiary, has acquired privately-held BioMedical Enterprises, one of the first manufacturers in the United States of small bone fixation devices made of the shape memory alloy Nitinol. Financial terms of the transaction were not disclosed.
A nickel-titanium alloy, Nitinol over the past decades has found widespread use in orthopaedics as a material for guide wires, staples, anchors, and internal fixation implants. In bone fusion and fracture fixation devices, Nitinol "provides both the capacity for sustained compression during post-operative healing and the opportunity to minimize device stiffness and mitigate stress shielding compared to rigid titanium implants," according to a paper from the American Society for Metals.
San Antonio, Texas-based BME claims to be the market leader in the use of memory metal implants for bone fixation. Memory metals such as Nitinol have the ability to revert to their parent shape when exposed to predetermined temperatures to provide bone fixation.
The company's LinkedIn profile states, "For over a decade, BME has spearheaded the innovation of the Nitinol technologies in the U.S. market, and continues the advancement of Nitinol implants and instruments. This is accomplished by BME developing new standards for manufacturing processes, adding to its surgeon advisory boards, and focusing on the education of our surgeon communities on the clinical benefits of the Nitinol technology."
BME's implants are used to treat bunions, hammertoes, and other foot and ankle deformities, as well as hand and wrist deformities, and come ready-to-use on a sterilized, pre-loaded, fully disposable insertion tool, according to a press release. The company portfolio's addition to DePuy Synthes strengthens Johnson & Johnson's position in elective extremity surgery, the fastest growing segment in orthopaedics.
“BME’s technology is an excellent complement to our comprehensive portfolio of solutions that spans all of orthopaedics,” said Ciro Römer, Company Group Chairman, DePuy Synthes. “The BME portfolio will be integrated into our trauma platform, where we will be able to expand the availability of these solutions, increase the pace of innovation in this area, and reach more patients around the world. We look forward to welcoming the BME employees to DePuy Synthes.”
DePuy Synthes has been actively broadening its already comprehensive orthopaedic portfolio in recent months. In March, the company announced a deal with Israeli medtech company Rainbow Medical to co-develop a novel, minimally-invasive implant for treating spinal degenerative disc disease, which affects millions of people around the world. In November last year, it introduced a new joint replacement offering, called DePuy Synthes ADVANTAGE Outpatient Solutions, to cater to the growing demand in outpatient reconstructive surgeries. The program pairs DePuy's portfolio of hip, knee, and shoulder orthopedic surgical products with a suite of patient support services and physician training in the outpatient setting.
Responding to the new reimbursement model by the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) covering hip and knee replacement procedures, DePuy signed recently an exclusive alliance with Value Stream Partners (VSP) to design, develop, and implement bundled payment programs.