Alphatec: Betting On the Aging Spine
Executive Summary
Once a small manufacturer of custom products, Alphatec was acquired by HealthpointCapital in 2005 with the goal of turning the company into a major player in spine. Alphatec's strategy has been to target important new technology areas, such as minimally invasive surgery and biologics, with a special focus on elderly patients and the specific problems they face. A merger with Scient'x brought Alphatec additional products for its pipeline and, more importantly, a commercial infrastructure in Europe. Like other spine companies, Alphatec faces a host of issues, including pricing pressures, pushback on covered procedures by payors, and uncertainty at the FDA. Adding to the challenge for Alphatec: its role as a publicly traded company. A company whose product development efforts more closely resemble that of a venture-backed start-up went public, partly to raise the capital to fuel strong growth. But like any publicly traded company, Alphatec's stock has been on a roller coaster since its IPO in 2006. Last spring, the company missed its numbers and the stock took a huge hit. Critics charge that the company has lagged in product development; while company officials insist that the pipeline is rich, believing that the strong pipeline will push Alphatec into the front ranks of the industry.
You may also be interested in...
Top Device Stories Of 2010: Waiting For The Other Shoes To Fall
For much of the device industry, 2010 felt like a transition year, breeding uncertainty in a number of important areas, including the economy, health care reform, and impending changes to the 510(k) process. A review of the year just ended turns up these stories: Device M&A on the Rebound; Is A First-Mover Advantage Emerging In Medtech? Boston Scientific Is Back In The Game; Early-Stage Deals In Decline; The Future Of Medtech: Where Private Investment Dollars Are Flowing; Transcatheter Valves Take Center Stage; Spine's Downturn; Diabetes Assumptions Begin To Shift; A Landmark Year In Ophthalmology; Health Reform In 2010: A Beginning, Not An End; Changes At FDA: 510(k) Reform Takes Shape, and finally, Is Physician Choice In Product Selection In Danger?
NuVasive: Outpacing a Slowing Spine Market
For the past several years, NuVasive has been growing faster than its rivals in spine, thanks to its innovative XLIF procedure, a lateral approach to minimally-invasive spine surgery. But now the spine market overall has hit a wall. In a market no longer growing, can NuVasive continue to grow?
EU CHMP Opinions And MAA Updates
This is an update of recommendations from the European Medicines Agency's Committee for Medicinal Products for Human Use on the authorization of new medicines in the EU, and updates on EU marketing authorization changes recommended by the CHMP.