Issue link: https://beckershealthcare.uberflip.com/i/1514217
16 DEVICES & IMPLANTS Former NuVasive, LimaCorporate exec to lead Orthofix By Carly Behm Orthofix named Massimo Calafiore as its new president and CEO. Mr. Calafiore, who is CEO of LimaCorporate, is expected to step into his new role in early 2024, Orthofix said in a Nov. 28 news release. He will replace Orthofix's interim CEO Catherine Burzik, who took the role in September aer Keith Valentine was fired following an investigation. Ms. Burzik has elected not to stand for board reelection, Orthofix said. Orthofix is also looking to replace its interim CFO and interim chief legal officer. "roughout his career, Massimo has demonstrated his ability to unlock value opportunities for multi-segmented, global businesses," Ms. Burzik said in the release. "He has successfully driven sales and commercial operations to achieve both industry leading profitability and growth. Importantly, he has proven experience integrating companies and building high performing teams." Before joining LimaCorporate in 2022, Mr. Calafiore was executive vice president and chief commercial officer at NuVasive. He also has experience working with Waldemar Link. n Why 3 spine devicemakers are laying off staff in 2023 By Carly Behm Stryker, Medtronic and DePuy Spine all announced plans to lay off employees in 2023. Stryker aimed to lay off more than 500 employees before the end of December, according to an April 19 WARN notice. e company is closing its Lakeland, Fla. facility, and layoffs at the company were already ongoing. Medtronic was also planning layoffs and informed the state of California that it was laying off 59 employees from its facility in Sunnyvale. In a February earnings call, CEO Geoff Martha said the company would be going through significant cost reductions. Additional cost reduction solutions Medtronic has leveraged include limiting travel and slowing its hiring process. In October, DePuy Spine, part of Johnson & Johnson's DePuy Synthes, said in a WARN notice that it is eliminating positions permanently at its Monument, Colo. e layoffs will begin toward the end of December, and 67 employees will be affected. e move comes shortly aer reports that said Johnson & Johnson is restructuring its orthopedic business. n M6-C disc superior to ACDF after 5 years: study By Carly Behm N ew data from Orthofix found its M6-C cervical disc saw better outcomes than anterior cervical discectomy and fusion after 5 years. The FDA-approved investigational device exemption findings, published in The Spine Journal, found that after 5 years, M6-C had 82.3% composite clinical success while ACDF had 67% CCS. Rates of subsequent surgical interventions were 3.1% for disc replacement and 5.3% for ACDF. Patients with single-level symptomatic cervical radiculopathy with or without cord compression across 23 sites in the U.S. were evaluated for the study, according to a Nov. 29 news release. The study concluded, "Subjects treated with the M6-C artificial disc demonstrated superior 5-year achievement of clinical success when compared to ACDF controls. In addition, significantly more subjects in the M6-C group showed improved pain and physical functioning scores than observed in ACDF subjects, with no difference in re- operation rates or safety outcomes." A 2-level study for M6-C compared to ACDF is currently underway. n Nevro acquires spine company By Carly Behm N evro acquired Vyrsa Technologis, a company focused on sacroiliac joint fusion, according to a Nov. 30 news release. Vyrsa Technologies has an array of SI joint devices and was founded in 2021. It's the only SI joint company with a complete portfolio of FDA-cleared sacroiliac joint fusion implants. The deal was completed Nov. 30 and values Vyrsa at $40 million. Nevro will also pay up to an additional $35 million pending development and sales milestones. n