Baxano Surgical Nabs International Approvals

Raleigh, N.C.-based Baxano Surgical Inc., a medical device company focused on minimally invasive products to treat degenerative conditions of the spine affecting the lumbar region, has received regulatory approvals and distribution agreements for certain of its products in Mexico, Colombia and Turkey. AxiaLIF Plus and VEO were approved in Mexico and Colombia, while the IO-Flex was approved in Turkey.

Disortho in Colombia and Biomedical Tech in Mexico, which manufacture spinal implants in their respective countries, will begin distributing Baxano’s AxiaLIF Plus and VEO. MediKon Saglik in Turkey has been a distributor of AxiaLIF in Turkey for many years and will add IO-Flex to its portfolio. Surgeons in all three markets are being trained on the technologies. and are expected to begin performing cases in the fourth quarter of 2013, according to company officials.

“We are excited to be expanding our international footprint in Latin America and Turkey,” said Ken Reali, president and CEO of Baxano Surgical, Inc. “We believe that these markets represent attractive opportunities for our proprietary portfolio of minimally invasive spine products. The combination of our engaged distributors and a focus on excellent surgeon training will drive strong adoption in these markets in the years to come.”

Baxano markets the AxiaLIF family of products for single and two-level lower lumbar fusion: the VEO lateral access and interbody fusion system; the iO-Flex system, a proprietary set of flexible instruments used by surgeons during spinal decompression procedures; and the iO-Tome instrument that removes bone, specifically the facet joints, which is commonly performed in spinal fusion procedures.

Baxano Surgical was founded in May 2000.