Becker's Spine Review

34 DEVICES & IMPLANTS Former top scientist, CFO accuse spine company leadership of sexism By Carly Behm T he former CFO and top scientist of Dis- cGenics are suing the spinal medtech company for alleged misconduct from top leadership. C-suite leaders, including CEO Flagg Flanagan and COO Bob Wynalek allegedly made crude, sexist comments in multiple incidents, accord- ing to a lawsuit filed May 23 by Lara Silverman, PhD, and Jeffrey Poole. Some alleged com- ments were made toward Dr. Silverman's ability to work while being a mother, and others were inappropriate discussions about Mr. Flanagan's personal life, the lawsuit said. e lawsuit also alleges Dr. Silverman wasn't provided proper lactation space. Dr. Silverman joined the company in 2011, and Mr. Poole was hired as CFO in 2020. ey went to DiscGenics' board of directors to report the behavior, the lawsuit said. Shortly aer, Mr. Poole's job was terminated. Dr. Silverman le the company in 2021. ey are seeking com- pensatory and punitive damages, as well as at- torneys fees. "I've seen examples of gender discrimination throughout my professional career, but in larg- er companies, it was much more subtle, and I wasn't in a position to influence widespread change," Mr. Poole said in a May 23 news re- lease shared with Becker's. "At DiscGenics, the sexism was anything but subtle." A spokesperson for DiscGenics told Becker's that the allegations against leadership were filed in a discrimination suit in 2021. e charges were dismissed in January 2022 fol- lowing an investigation from the Utah Antidis- crimination and Labor Division, the spokes- person said. e spokesperson said DiscGenics plans to fight the new claims in court. Mr. Poole and Dr. Silverman's attorney said in a May 24 statement to Becker's that the UALD's investigation wasn't thorough. "e UALD is an overburdened state admin- istrative agency with limited enforcement power and investigative resources. Its pur- ported 'investigation' into our clients' claims did not include any hearing, any sworn testi- mony, any interviews with dozens of witnesses our clients put forth, nor any of the ordinary discovery tools utilized in a court of law," the statement said. n 4 spine surgeons debut Globus Medical's '3-in-1' imaging system By Alan Condon T he first spine surgeries with Globus Medical's Excelsius3D three- in-one imaging have been completed with the ExcelsiusGPS ro- bot, the company said May 18. The procedures were performed by: - Paul McAfee, MD, and Mesfin Lemma, MD, at MedStar Union Memorial Hospital (Baltimore) - Roland Kent, MD, at Northwest Specialty Hospital (Post Falls, Idaho) - Jeffrey Goldstein, MD, at NYU Langone Health (New York City) Excelsius3D is an X-ray system designed for 2D fluoroscopy, 2D digital radiography and 3D imaging. It is indicated for use where a physician benefits from 2D and 3D data on anatomic structures and high-contrast objects with high X-ray attenuation such as bony anatomy and metallic objects, according to Globus. The imaging system integrates with the company's flagship spine robot. "The addition of Excelsius3D to our operating room has helped to streamline our navigation workflow with ExcelsiusGPS," Dr. Goldstein said. "The intraoperative imaging technology enables us to efficiently visualize anatomy, offers three imaging modes in a single compre - hensive system, and is easy for our radiology technicians to maneuver and position." n 5-year M6-C data supports continued benefits compared to ACDF By Carly Behm F ive-year data on Orthofix's M6-C artificial disc shows its effectiveness compared to anterior cervical discectomy and fusion at one level. The data comes from an FDA investigational device exemption study, according to a May 31 news release. Key findings include: 1. At five years, M6-C patients had a better mean neck disability index score of 47.5 points compared to 33.4 for the ACDF cohort. 2. There were statistically significant favorable results in shoulder and arm pain scores for patients in the M6-C group, and they had a mean improvement of 6.8 points. 3. At the five-year point, M6-C patients continued to have the lowest Subsequent Surgical Interven - tions rates at 3.1 percent compared to other FDA- approved artificial cervical discs. n

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