Medtronic Inc. has launched a new bone cement product in the United States market.
The product, Kyphon ActivOs 10 Bone Cement, includes Hydroxyapatite, a material that is chemically and structurally similar to human bone and has been used in dental and orthopedic surgery for a number of years, according to a company statement.
Kyphon ActivOs will be used during balloon kyphoplasty surgery, a procedure that is designed to stop the pain caused by bone fractures in the spine. It is the second bone cement product in the Kyphon products division of Medtronic.
Medtronic's product extends that use to a different level, said Douglas Beall, chief of radiology services for Clinical Radiology of Oklahoma. The benefits, he said, include an ease in handling, which allows physicians to use it during minimally invasive vertebral compression fracture surgery.
"I feel comfortable in using it on my patients with spinal fractures caused by cancer or osteoporosis," Beall said in a statement.
Fridley, Minn.-based Medtronic (NYSE: MDT) maintains its spinal and biologics business units in Memphis, Tenn., where it employs 1,500.
