FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
CONTACT:
Vanessa Kelepecz
(212) 527-7544
Debbie Williams
(508) 828-3140
DEPUY SPINE CONTINUES TO EXPAND DEGENERATIVE PORTFOLIO
WITH TWO NEW PRODUCTS
Steady Stream of Product Introductions Continues in 2009
SAN FRANCISCO – November 11, 2009 – DePuy Spine, Inc., expanded its portfolio for degenerative
disease with the launch of two of its latest innovations, the UNIPLATE® 2 Anterior Cervical Plate System, a
next generation single-screw midline fixation system, and the VERTIGRAFT® VG2® Cervical Allograft with
PRESERVON® Technology, the first allograft that can be stored at room temperature in a fully hydrated state.
The company launched the products at the 24th Annual Meeting of the North American Spine Society
(NASS). In the last three years, DePuy Spine introduced 30 new products, including eight this year,
encompassing traditional and minimally invasive solutions across degenerative disease, deformity, aging and
complex spinal disorders.
“DePuy Spine is committed to continued innovation and filling patient and clinical needs across the
entire spectrum of spinal disorders,” said Gary Fischetti, Worldwide President, DePuy Spine. “This
commitment means offering solutions, not just products, to address the increasing needs of our customers
and the increasing demand for spinal care being fueled by an aging and more active population.”
At NASS, DePuy Spine introduced the UNIPLATE 2 for one- or two-level anterior cervical
discectomy and fusion (ACDF). Single-screw midline fixation, pioneered with the original UNIPLATE
launched in 2005, allows the surgeon to affix an implant using one screw per vertebral body. This
minimizes the need for retraction of soft tissue, such as the trachea and esophagus, during implantation.
The UNIPLATE 2 features a thinner profile between screw holes, providing flexible “bend zones”
that allow surgeons to customize the plate to fit a patient’s anatomy, and has less material on both ends to
reduce the risk of adjacent level impingement. It also has posterior cleats to reduce slippage and fourthgeneration CAM-LOC™ technology that offers visual, tactile and audible assurance that the screws are
locked in place. Streamlined instrumentation enables surgeons to choose the method of implantation most
appropriate to the patient’s needs.
-more-
-2The VERTIGRAFT VG2 Cervical Allograft with PRESERVON Technology is made of a
composite of cortical and cancellous bone. PRESERVON, a new, proprietary glycerol-based preservation
solution developed by LifeNet Health® and exclusive to DePuy Spine, eliminates the need to freeze or
freeze-dry the allograft and avoids the lengthy thawing and rehydration process, which saves time in the
operating room.
The Year in Spine: 2009
Earlier this year, DePuy Spine expanded its EXPEDIUM® line with the launch of the EXPEDIUM
Favored Angle Screw, the first thoracolumbar pedicle screw featuring a favored angle trajectory up to 77.7
degrees for easier rod capturing, and the EXPEDIUM Cobalt Chromium (CoCr) Rod, designed to maintain
deformity correction while offering better imaging and less artifact than stainless steel.
In minimally invasive spine surgery (MIS), the company launched the HEALOS® Fx Injectable
Bone Graft Replacement, DePuy Spine’s first bone graft solution that can be molded for open applications
or injected via cannulas of differing lengths to reach difficult implantation sites in minimally invasive or
small void surgical environments.
DePuy Spine also expanded its presence in the area of scoliosis with the market introduction of the
SCOLISCORE™ AIS Prognostic Test, a saliva-based genetic test designed to predict the risk of curve
progression in Caucasian adolescents ages 9 to 13 who have been diagnosed with mild adolescent idiopathic
scoliosis, the most common form of scoliosis.
In August, the DePuy Institute, LLC opened its doors on the DePuy campus in Raynham,
Massachusetts, providing year-round education, training and research on non-surgical early interventions
to complex surgery in the areas of orthopaedics, spinal care, sports medicine, soft tissue repair, trauma
and neurosciences.
About DePuy Spine
DePuy Spine, Inc. has worked and partnered with leading clinicians, researchers, and thought
leaders to develop products to treat spine disorders for over 20 years. It is part of the DePuy companies of
Johnson & Johnson, which have a rich heritage of pioneering a broad range of products and solutions across
the continuum of orthopaedic and neurological care. These companies are unified under one vision – Never
Stop Moving™ – to express their commitment to bring meaningful innovation, shared knowledge and quality
care to patients throughout the world. Visit www.depuy.com for more information.
###