Benvenue Medical Announces U.S. Launch of the Blazer™ Vertebral Augmentation System

SAN FRANCISCO, March 26, 2012 /PRNewswire/ -- Today Benvenue Medical, Inc., a developer of minimally invasive solutions for spine repair, launched the Blazer Vertebral Augmentation System for vertebral compression fractures (VCF) in the U.S. at the 2012 Society of Interventional Radiology (SIR) annual meeting. Blazer is the first clinical product in Benvenue Medical's portfolio to be commercially available in the U.S., and it is designed for spine specialists to mechanically create cavities via multiple channels in the vertebral body to direct the flow of bone cement, for greater predictability and control in vertebral augmentation procedures.

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"Blazer is a device unlike any other that is commercially available.  It allows physicians to treat the most basic and the most complex fractures efficiently," said Francis Facchini, MD, FSIR, at the VIR Chicago in Hinsdale, IL. 

"Benvenue has developed a toolbox to treat painful VCFs as all fractures are not the same.  We believe the Blazer System is the best in class mechanical cavity creator available on the market today," said Robert Weigle, CEO of Benvenue Medical. "Blazer compliments our Kiva VCF Treatment System, currently under an IDE study named KAST.  Together, our products will be able to address the majority of patients suffering from VCFs."

Benvenue Medical is hosting a symposium in San Francisco during SIR on March 27 at 6:30 pm entitled "Growing Your Practice:  Office-Based Vertebral Augmentation" to discuss the recent reimbursement changes and how physicians can shift their practices towards the office-based environment.  An RSVP is required.

About Blazer Vertebral Augmentation System

Blazer is a circular cavity creation device used in minimally invasive vertebral augmentation procedures that can be performed in a spine specialist's office or in a hospital setting. The device is indicated for the treatment of pathological compression fractures of the vertebral body that result from osteoporosis, benign lesions, or malignant lesions, by creating cavities via multiple channels in the existing spinal bone structure for the flow of bone cement. Blazer uses a nitinol wire that is percutaneously inserted and strong enough to penetrate bone to create cavities. Bone cement is then delivered into the fracture following the cavities created by Blazer providing controlled distribution of the cement fill.

The benefits of Blazer for spine specialists include:

• Predictable cavity creation
• Targeted delivery of cement
• Minimally invasive, unilateral approach

The Blazer Vertebral Augmentation System is available for sale in the United States and Canada.

About Benvenue Medical, Inc.

Founded in 2004, Benvenue Medical, Inc. is advancing spine repair through the development of proprietary, minimally invasive surgical and interventional solutions. The company is privately held and funded by Versant Ventures, DeNovo Ventures, Domain Associates and Technology Partners.  Its first products are designed for the treatment of vertebral compression fractures and degenerative disc disease, which have combined revenues of $1.6 billion globally.  For more information, visit www.benvenuemedical.com.

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MEDIA CONTACT:
Betsy Merryman
Merryman Communications
[email protected]
310-560-8176

SOURCE Benvenue Medical, Inc.