Medtronic and Siemens Healthineers Forge Strategic Alliance to Advance Spine Surgery Innovation

Sep 28, 2024 17:11 CST Updated 17:11

Medtronic

Medical Device Manufacturer

Recently, Medtronic, a global leading medical device manufacturer, announced a series of innovative products and technologies for spinal and cranial surgeries at the 39th Annual Meeting of the North American Spine Society (NASS) held in Chicago. These new technologies and solutions aim to enhance the predictability of surgical outcomes and the quality of patient care through its intelligent ecosystem, AiBLE™. Medtronic also announced a partnership with Siemens Healthineers to jointly explore possibilities for expanding advanced preoperative and postoperative imaging technologies in spine care.

▲Multitom Rax

The new progress of the AiBLE™ ecosystem launched this time reflects the innovative achievements of the collaboration between Medtronic and Siemens:

O-arm™ 4.3 Software Update Enables Enhanced Navigation Volume, Dose Reduction, and Image Confirmation.
UNiD™ Adaptive Spine Intelligence (ASI) Platform Adds MRI Vision Function, Which Utilizes Computer Vision Technology to Automate the Analysis of Lumbar MRIs by Integrating Smart Soft Healthcare’s CoLumbo for Segmentation, Annotation, and Measurement of Key Pathological Features.The platform has been developed based on more than 28,000 patient surgical cases and has been widely applied globally.
The Mazor software, updated to version 5.1, has become the first spinal robotic system to integrate artificial intelligence, bone cutting, and graft delivery. The new version introduces Maximum Intensity Projection (MIP) technology, further enhancing image quality.
The ModuLeX Spinal System introduces new implant innovations, improves visibility in the surgical area, and enhances surgical flexibility, thereby creating more optimized anatomical outcomes for patients.

In response, Skip Kiil, President of Medtronic's Cranial and Spinal Technologies division, pointed out that the collaboration with Siemens Healthineers strengthens the company’s commitment to reducing uncertainties during patient treatment and improving outcomes. This partnership will fully leverage the extensive expertise of both parties in the fields of imaging and data science to jointly advance the AiBLE strategy, aiming for better patient treatment results.

Verena Schoen, Executive Vice President of X-ray Products at Siemens Healthineers, also expressed her anticipation for the collaboration. She emphasized that the geometrically precise imaging technology provided by Multitom Rax™ is highly significant for the diagnosis, treatment planning, surgical execution, and postoperative monitoring of spinal surgeries. This partnership is expected to combine the technical strengths of both parties, offering spine surgeons and neurosurgeons greater precision and support.

Those Years' Layout in the Spine Field

In recent years, with the high incidence of orthopedic diseases, the increase in the aging population, the rise in degenerative bone conditions, and the growing number of road accidents, the global orthopedic device market has continued to expand. Spinal surgical devices, as an important branch of the orthopedic market, have naturally become a key focus for major medical device giants.

▲Figure: Shutterstock

In 2012, Medtronic spent $816 million to acquire Kanghui, then the leader in China's spinal market, with a particular focus on developing Kanghui’s spinal business.
In 2018, Medtronic acquired Mazor Robotics, an Israeli surgical robotics company, for $1.64 billion (approximately RMB 11.2 billion), thereby gaining the Mazor X surgical platform. The completion of this acquisition solidified Medtronic's absolute leading position in the field of spinal surgical robotics.
In January 2023, Orthofix and SeaSpine announced the successful completion of their previously announced merger of equals, an all-stock transaction, following the receipt of approval from shareholders of both companies at their respective special shareholder meetings, to create a global spine and orthopedics company.
In April 2023, NuVasive, a leading spinal company, and Globus Medical, an orthopedic robotics company, announced that they had received approval from both sets of shareholders to merge, creating the world's second-largest spinal technology company after Medtronic.
In October 2023, Silony Medical, the global leader in spinal fusion, completed the acquisition of Centinel Spine's global fusion business. This transaction will combine the expertise and product portfolios of both companies, creating a new giant in spinal fusion technology.
In August 2024, DePuy Synthes, a subsidiary of Johnson & Johnson, announced that the VELYS SPINE active robotic assistance system, developed in collaboration with eCential Robotics, has received FDA 510(k) clearance, marking a strong entry into the spinal robotics field.

The Spine Market in China

Traditionally, in the medical device field, many high-end markets have been monopolized by foreign enterprises. However, the orthopedic robot market presents a different landscape. In China, currently, more than 90% of the market share is held by local companies. With the increasingly widespread application of spinal robots in China and the growing public acceptance of such technology, the enormous potential market demand is driving rapid industry growth, leading to an intensely competitive landscape.

Although Chinese companies started late in the research of spinal surgical robots, an increasing number of local enterprises have joined the competition, driven by a favorable market environment and enormous demand. Chinese surgical robot companies have made remarkable progress in key technologies, continuously advancing the localization process in the field of spinal surgical robots.

For example, in October 2023, TiRobot launched its self-developed third-generation orthopedic surgery robot — the Tianji series. This is the world's first robotic system capable of performing surgeries on all spinal segments, pelvis, and limb fractures, with a surgical positioning accuracy of 0.8 millimeters. The technology has reached an internationally leading level, marking a leap from catching up to taking the lead. As of March 2024, the Tianji series orthopedic robots have completed over 70,000 surgeries, becoming the largest brand in terms of installations and surgeries for spinal surgery robots in China.

Another Chinese company, Xinjun Special's ORTHBOT Intelligent Spinal Orthopedic Surgical Robot, is the first fully intelligent orthopedic surgical robot in China to integrate navigation with surgical operation. Last year, ORTHBOT received the EU MDR CE certification, becoming the first holder of an MDR CE certificate in China’s spinal robot industry, marking Xinjun Special's official first step into the international market.

The report predicts that by 2030, the total number of spinal surgeries in China will exceed 3 million cases. With the aggravation of population aging, the demand for innovative therapies will become more urgent. Procurement policies at the national level have accelerated the pace of product innovation and technology introduction, promoting the growth of local innovative enterprises.

Facing Global Aging, the Spine Industry is Moving Towards Globalization, Intelligence, and Precision. With a large population and a rapidly aging society, China is becoming one of the largest spinal surgery markets globally. The market for spinal surgery robots in China is emerging, with products showing excellent performance in precision, minimally invasive procedures, and repeatability, but their application scope remains limited. Local companies need to explore niche markets deeply and build differentiated advantages to maintain competitiveness.

▲Source of the article:Medical Device Innovation Network

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