LDR Holding, Poly-Shape Partner on 3-D Printed Spinal Implants

LDR Holding Corporation, through its wholly-owned subsidiary LDR Médical SAS, has made a minority investment in Poly-Shape SAS, a French manufacturing company specializing in laser sintering, and entered into an exclusive partnership with Poly-Shape for the development of spinal implants. The agreement combines LDR’s spinal expertise and approach to implant design with Poly-Shape’s proprietary, additive manufacturing methods.

“As a company with a passion for innovation, LDR is very pleased with this alliance. Poly-Shape has developed a reputation for its novel manufacturing techniques, and for the production of parts that meet the rigorous quality and functional standards of its clients, which include Formula One race teams and companies developing aerospace applications,” said Christophe Lavigne, president/CEO of LDR. “Access to this experience and capability supports our philosophy of utilizing cutting-edge technology to bring spinal implants and instruments to our surgeon customers and their patients. The collaboration will help us continue to develop and deliver best-in-class products for Minimal Implant Volume (MIVo) spinal surgery.”

The agreement was signed in the fourth quarter of 2015, and included additional investment by ALIAD, the venture capital affiliate of Air Liquide, a developer of gases, technologies and services for industry and health. LDR will hold a seat on the Poly-Shape Board of Directors. Initial projects have already been initiated with the expectation to launch newly designed spinal implants produced with Poly-Shape technology as early as mid-2017. Financial terms of the investment and agreement were not disclosed.

“Poly-Shape is excited to partner with LDR and to leverage our additive manufacturing expertise, proven in aerospace and racing, to produce novel spinal implants that will benefit patients and physicians,” Stéphane Abed, co-founder/CEO of Poly-Shape said. “I believe LDR is an ideal partner for Poly-Shape in that we share a similar philosophy based on innovation that provides true, measurable benefits. Our co-development will result in spinal implants with more complex geometries and unique features which are free from the limits that may be associated with conventional manufacturing methods.”

Poly-Shape, a subsidiary of the French group Upperside, is headquartered at Saint-Pierre-du-Perray in the Paris metropolitan area. The company employs approximately 60 people and operates two production plants as well as a sales and marketing facility. Outside France, the company has a presence in Spain and also in Rome, Italy, through Poly-Shape Italia.

LDR Holding Corporation designs and commercializes spinal surgery technologies. LDR’s primary products are based on its exclusive Mobi non-fusion and VerteBRIDGE fusion technology platforms and are designed for applications in the cervical and lumbar spine. These technologies are designed to enable products that are less invasive, provide greater intra-operative flexibility, offer simplified surgical techniques and promote improved clinical outcomes for patients as compared to existing alternatives. In August 2013, LDR received approval from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) for the Mobi-C cervical disc replacement device, the first and only cervical disc replacement device to receive FDA approval to treat both one-level and two-level cervical disc disease.