Recently incorporated Orthophoenix, which shares the same Dallas address as IPNav, a company that provides “full-service patent monetization,” is suing six device firms for infringement of the Medtronic kyphoplasty patents it recently acquired.

Two emerging companies recently received US marketing approval in the spine/ortho space: Ascendx Spine, which has a new device for VCF repair, and Soft Tissue Regeneration, which offers a biodegradable scaffold for soft tissue augmentation and rotator cuff repair.

Although the spine market appears to be stabilizing to some extent, the vertebral compression fracture market continues to be challenged by reimbursement issues and lingering controversy stemming from the New England Journal of Medicine articles questioning the efficacy of vertebroplasty and vertebral augmentation as a treatment for VCFs.