ODT’s Most-Read Stories This Week—Sept. 24

New products, new surgical technologies, and new money drove most of ODT’s website traffic this past week.

Ossifix Orthopedics, Stryker, and Zimmer Biomet each garnered page views with new products while Anika Therapeutics attracted cybervisitors with the first use of its X-Twist Fixation System. Also, Embody Inc. gained attention with its new funding.

Ossifix debuted a demineralized bone matrix—DBM/Crunch—that contains no carrier or filler additives and is engineered to be resistant to washing away or migrating from the surgical site. Stryker’s OptaBlate bone tumor ablation system, meanwhile, gained FDA 510(k) clearance. Adding OptaBlate to Stryker’s Interventional Spine (IVS) portfolio expands on its core competencies in vertebral augmentation and radiofrequency ablation to treat metastatic vertebral body fractures. OptaBlate is Stryker’s first interventional oncology technology and can reduce ablation time by three minutes, according to company data. It features four probes and Stryker’s patented microinfusion technology so physicians can customize their procedure; the system treats two vertebral body levels at once via a bipedicular approach and its microinfusion tech keeps the zone hydrated to reduce impedance errors and prevent charring.

Zimmer Biomet Holdings Inc.’s newest product is the FDA 510(k)-cleared Identity Shoulder System for anatomic, reverse and revision shoulder replacement. The Identity Shoulder System is a convertible system that uses proprietary technologies to align each surgeon’s approach to an individual patient’s anatomy, with the goal of alleviating pain and optimizing range of motion. The latest addition to Zimmer Biomet’s portfolio of shoulder replacement systems, the Identity Shoulder System is designed to allow surgeons to devise and execute a patient-specific surgical plan with precision.

Anika Therapeutics’ X-Twist Fixation System, concurrently, made its clinical debut in a Tampa, Fla., OR. The X-Twist Fixation System is a platform of suture anchors designed to be mechanically strong, easy to use, and support healing for cases such as rotator cuff repair. The system affords surgeons a variety of knotless and knotted soft tissue fixation options in a single anchor platform.

Soft tissue healing company Embody Inc. caused a digital stir as well with the closing of a $10.4 million Series C funding round. Embody intends to use the financing to expand its operations and postmarket clinical studies of its recently launched Tapestry RC (rotator cuff) system. The company will also use the funds to prepare for commercial launch of its ActivBraid collagen-based suture tech next year. 

1. Ossifix Orthopedics Debuts Demineralized Bone Matrix

2. Stryker’s OptaBlate Bone Tumor Ablation Gains FDA Nod

3. FDA Clears Zimmer Biomet’s Identity Shoulder System

4. First Surgeries Performed Using X-Twist Fixation System Completed

5. Embody Inc. Raises $10.4M in Series C