Medtronic (NYSE:MDT) has launched its bone marrow aspiration needle kit in the United States as it continues to grow its biologics portfolio.
Medtronic executives said in February the company’s biologics revenue was $235 million, up 10 percent compared to the the same period a year ago. The boost was largely fueled by the Osteotech acquisition in November.
“The launch of the Marrowmax Bone Marrow Aspiration Needle comes at a strategic time for us,” Neil Beals, vice president of marketing for Medtronic Biologics, said in a statement. “We expect this innovation to enhance and complement our Biologics and bone grafting portfolio and allow our sales team to carry a complete set of tools to fit both surgeon and patient needs.”
Marrowmax offers a new way to remove marrow through a syringe. Surgeons remove a small amount of bone marrow fluid and cells through a needle put into a bone. The marrow can used to hydrate a synthetic bone graft such as the products Medtronic makes, thereby eliminating the need for a second procedure in order to harvest bone, the company said in a statement.
Conventional needles have one hole at the the end of the tube through which marrow travels into a syringe. As such the marrow is drawn from one position. But the multi-holed tube of Medtronic’s Marrowmax allows for simultaneous marrow draws from the same position.
Medtronic, a developer of new innovative medical devices, believes this reduces time for withdrawing the marrow as well as the repositioning of the needle, which patients can sometimes find painful.
Marrowmax comes in three sizes to accommodate surgeons for a variety of draw sites in the body.
A Deep-dive Into Specialty Pharma
A specialty drug is a class of prescription medications used to treat complex, chronic or rare medical conditions. Although this classification was originally intended to define the treatment of rare, also termed “orphan” diseases, affecting fewer than 200,000 people in the US, more recently, specialty drugs have emerged as the cornerstone of treatment for chronic and complex diseases such as cancer, autoimmune conditions, diabetes, hepatitis C, and HIV/AIDS.
