iFuse Implant System™ Launches at Eurospine

SAN JOSE, Calif., Sept. 14 /PRNewswire/ -- SI-BONE, Inc. (San Jose, California), a medical device company that is pioneering the use of a minimally invasive surgical (MIS) device to treat the sacroiliac (SI) joint announced today that it is launching training for its iFuse Implant System™ and anticipates CE Mark at anytime. A CE Mark is the certification requirement recognized by members of the European Union for sales and distribution into those countries. The company has recently received ISO 13485 Certification, which demonstrates that it provides medical devices and related services that consistently meet customer and regulatory requirements. The company plans to introduce the iFuse Implant System in the EU at the upcoming Eurospine Meeting in Vienna, September 14-17, where it will be exhibiting in booth 68.

The iFuse Implant System is a minimally invasive surgical (MIS) system comprised of titanium implants coated with a porous plasma spray that acts as an interference surface fit, which helps decrease implant motion. The iFuse has a substantial thickness and sophisticated metallurgy, which provide immediate post-operative fixation, accomplishing the goal of traditional open SI Joint fusion through an MIS approach. Clinical publications have identified the SI joint as a pain generator for up to 22% of low back pain patients and that up to 75% of post-lumbar fusion patients develop SI joint degeneration within 5 years of surgery. These represent significant unmet clinical needs and, when conservative therapy fails, iFuse may provide an MIS option.

European surgeon training sessions are scheduled for October and November in Salzburg, Austria. These sessions will be presented by surgeon faculty who have performed dozens of iFuse surgeries in the United States and be coordinated by Vanes Frison, the company's European Training and Product Manager.

Commenting on the anticipated CE Mark and EU launch, Jeff Dunn, President and CEO, said, "The iFuse Implant System provides spine surgeons with a unique minimally invasive surgical approach to SI joint fixation/fusion. The CE mark will allow our EU Team to develop a presence in selected EU markets to address the needs of physicians committed to treating patients with SI joint problems. SI-BONE looks forward to entering these markets because we offer the only technology which provides an MIS solution to treat these SI joint conditions."

"Our product provides a technologically advanced alternative to the conventional open SI joint fusion as well as an option for patients who have failed conservative therapy. The key to the iFuse procedure is the device design and minimally invasive technique. We insert the implants across the SI joint in a one hour procedure and it gives us the stability that we need," said Mark Reiley, M.D., Chief Medical Officer, orthopedic surgeon, and founder of SI-BONE.

The European sales and distribution for this system, pursuant to receiving CE Mark certification, will follow the clearance the company received in November 2008 from the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) to market its iFuse Implant System. The iFuse is indicated for use in fracture fixation of large bones and large bone fragments of the pelvis for conditions including sacroiliac joint disruptions and degenerative sacroiliitis.

In addition to training and engaging key spine surgeons in the EU, surgeons in the US are preparing to report their initial clinical data at several significant spine meetings this fall, including North American Spine Surgery (NASS) in Orlando on October 7 on the main floor and at SI-BONE's Satellite Symposium on October 6, the American Academy of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation (AAPM&R) on November 5, the Society of Minimally Invasive Spine Surgery (SMISS) on November 6 and World Congress of Low Back & Pelvic Pain in Los Angeles on November 12.

In response to increasing awareness of SI Joint disruption and dysfunction as debilitating symptom generators, SI-BONE, Inc. developed an innovative, patented, intramedullary implant to treat the SI Joint. The company is also embarking on a post- market multicenter study to determine its effect over time on SI Joint pathology and on symptoms associated with SI Joint problems.

The iFuse Implant System is a commercially available device in the US intended for fracture fixation of large bones and large bone fragments of the pelvis for conditions including sacroiliac joint disruptions and degenerative sacroiliitis. The iFuse procedure uses a minimal incision for delivery and implantation of small, titanium implants. The implants are coated with a porous plasma spray that acts as an interference surface, designed to help decrease implant motion. These implants have substantial thickness and sophisticated metallurgy and are able to produce a much stronger construct than that of conventional pins or screws used to surgically fix boney structures. This implant technology from SI-BONE has been previously used successfully in well over 1,000 cases of dysfunctional foot joints.

About SI-BONE, Inc.

SI-BONE, Inc. (San Jose, California) is a leading spinal medical device company dedicated to the development of tools and products for diagnosing and treating patients with low back issues related to sacroiliac (SI) joint pathology. The company has developed, and is manufacturing and marketing, less invasive approaches using implants for the treatment of SI Joint pathology. SI-BONE has an experienced management team with extensive experience in orthopedic and spine medical devices.

SOURCE SI-BONE, Inc.