Amedica Gains Patent for Disc Implant

Amedica Corporation, a Salt Lake City, Utah-based spinal and reconstructive medical device manufacturer, has received a received a new patent for an artificial spinal disc implant based on its proprietary silicon nitride ceramic material.

Amedica is marketing the implant as “distinctly different” from existing metal-on-plastic or metal-on-metal designs, including PEEK (polyetheretherketone) and titanium implants. According to the company, its new artificial spine disc implant has the potential to provide patients with increased longevity of the implant due to lower wear, better osteointegration and reduced infection rates. Osteointegration is the capability of a material to fuse with bone or act as a scaffold upon which new bone can grow.

A 2010 study published in Orthopaedic Proceedings titled “Silicon Nitride: A New Material for Spinal Implants,” concluded that “[silicon nitride] exhibits a superior combination of properties including strength, toughness, MRI [magnetic resonance imaging] compatibility, and wear resistance. This may allow spinal implants with an important combination of properties than hitherto possible, including a wider range of design options, improved anatomic fit and imaging compatibility.” The compound is also antimicrobial, which makes it more attractive as an implant material.

“The purpose of this artificial disc is to increase the likelihood that a patient will have longer lasting neck or back pain relief,” said Bryan J. McEntire, chief technology officer of Amedica. “Over time, existing designs wear and create metal or plastic debris that can cause osteolysis [a type of bone loss] resulting in revisions. By using silicon nitride we can significantly reduce wear rates thus improving the longevity of the pain relief.”

Amedica currently plans to expand silicon nitride beyond spinal fusion for different types of surgical implant devices such as hip and knee replacements, dental implants and suture anchors. The company recently received 510(k) clearance for a second generation design of its Valeo interbody fusion devices, and is pursuing clearance of an interbody fusion device featuring a cancellous structure ceramic (CSC) core. CSC closely mimics the pore size of cancellous bone and is an ideal osteoconductive matrix that should allow bone to grow though the material.