New U.S. patent issued to Archus Orthopedics

Archus Orthopedics has announced that it has been awarded its seventh United States Patent.

Arising from a 1999 patent application filed by the company's founder, Mark Reiley, M.D., U.S. Patent 7,087,084 discloses the surgical method of removing some or all of a natural facet joint and replacing it with a prosthesis anchored in the pedicle.

"The pedicle is used as the site for fixation of a variety of posterior spine implants because it is a very strong anchoring point," said Jim Fitzsimmons, chairman and chief executive officer, commenting on the patent issuance. "This patent, in combination with Archus' existing U.S. and foreign patents, extends our dominant position in the facet joint replacement market worldwide," he added.

Archus is currently conducting a U.S. clinical trial of its Total Facet Arthroplasty System(TM) "TFAS(R)", a novel spinal implant designed to treat spinal stenosis, a condition in which degenerative changes in the facet joints result in compression of spinal nerves producing neurological symptoms in the legs. Traditionally, patients with spinal stenosis undergo decompressive laminectomy surgery, which is often accompanied by spinal fusion. The TFAS(R) replaces the degenerative facet joints with a prosthetic joint implant intended to restore stability and normal motion to the spine, eliminating the need for fusion.

In addition to TFAS(R), Archus is developing a suite of products to address other important and attractive applications for facet joint replacement. "Given its fundamental breadth, we believe that this patent will be applicable across our growing product line," said Fitzsimmons.