Saturday, December 31, 2011
2012 New Years Day Readers Poll
Is Osseon the next company to fall? Word coming out of the New England area is that there is trouble in paradise, could this be the next company in financial trouble? Ultimatums are a terrible way to have a relationship, usually ends up in divorce court, and this ain't Judge Judy the Nudie that we are talking' 'bout. So, what's the buzz tell us what's a happening. Where's OTW when you need all that insight? TSB wants to know, and so does the market, do they have legs or are they running on borrowed time? Who's next?
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Never believed in their product. Cavity creation by way of steerable needle?... don't need it. Once you have high viscosity cement, you do not need Osseon. Only benefit is coding and not everyone is a scam artist. Peace out.
ReplyDeleteCerviCore Victims Lawsuit
DeleteWhen will all of the companies learn that the VCF train came & left the station years ago? DFine, Osseon, Bienvenue, CareFusion, etc,, now Globus is going to jump into the fray.
ReplyDeleteSo sad to see so many continue to try & reinvent the wheel. It doesn't get much bette rthan the balloon.
The one thing you don't want is high viscosity cement.
ReplyDeleteBS, High Viscosity = controlled delivery and less extravasation......
ReplyDelete(2) words: Who cares?
ReplyDeleteDid Steve Marion take over as Orthofix VP of sales? Did HQ make him get a haircut?
ReplyDeleteWe co-marketed their steerable needle for a year or two. Didn't break my heart to see the marriage dissolved. The people I showed the needle to thought the whole VCF market reeked of scandal and this was just another example. Consigned to the dustbin of history. Later.
ReplyDeleteAnyone care to elaborate to a naive rep w/o a VCF product in their bag what exactly was scandalous about the VCF market?
ReplyDeleteAlphatec will undergo a major shakeup in 2012. Won't be an all out collapse but their landscape will look significantly different with Health Point Capital stepping in to shake up the failed upper and middle management team.
ReplyDeleteMadame Toussaint's predictions:
ReplyDeleteThe EPA will finally shut down Amedica. Even though the methane emissions were greatly reduced when "dapper Ben" was ejected, it was still not enough to overcome the death fumes. They will not be here this time next year.
Spine 360's 2012 theme song will be: "I fought the law and the law won"
SpineArt will retreat back behind the Maginot line, having sustained no French casualties and only a few token American wounded.
Spinesmith will open a used centrifuge store on Ebay for use reclaiming used backy spit.
So much for the deaths, now the near-deaths:
The downsize at Alphatec will leave them about 1/2 the size they are now... and still losing money. Those Healthpoint guys are livin breathin geniuses. Just ask em.
Trans1 will continue buggery-fusion thanks to some decent reimbursement news, but it won't save them past 2013.
X-Spine has enough business to survive in spite of a management team that should wear those little red clown noses just for full disclosure.
Spinal USA will continue along with their new cracked management team. They will be looked at closely, but will pass the sniff test (sorry I just barfed in my mouth a little).
Madame Toussaint, "Clairvoyant To The Stars"
Seems to be a fair consensus that atec is looking at a 2012 pullback. That, ofcourse, meaning they will be delisted on the nasdaq. Question is though, where will they cut the fat? They have no direct reps (to my knowledge). They are thin on the inside. So then what? Cut the regional guys out? (not enough overhead) Squeeze dist points? (they will take away the busiess) Guess i dont see where they are going to get the money.
ReplyDeleteATEC can cut the 5% growth bonus to distributors and save a cool million annually right out of the gate. Next, eliminate both area AVPs and save another million annually. Eliminate 3 of the board of directors and save another million plus annually. Replace Dirk with a competent CEO and save $250K annually. That's $3.25 million annually saved.
ReplyDeleteBag all of Scient'x and bury it in the backyard. That should save another million annually in inventory and admin cost after the initial write off for Scient'x dissolution.
Otherwise, even with their recent loan restructuring, they can't continue to lose money and not expect to fall off a cliff.
By the way, how's things going for NJ's very own bag of donuts and Florida's jacked up rabbit on Lord knows what? In my opinion, Those two are drags on the corporate bottom line.
That barely covers their costs on the new medical excise tax. Where else you going to cit costs?
ReplyDeleteI think you are wrong about SpineArt. I just signed a distribution deal and they already have their NSM meeting planned in Napa. I doubt they would spend the money for a sales meeting if they were leaving the U.S. Not to mention they are sold all over the world, why would they leave the #1 market. They are one of the few companies that are profitable so I see them putting more resources into the U.S.
ReplyDeleteMy predictions:
2:14 will be out as a meth snorting chicken f*cker.
3:50P
ReplyDeleteMaybe when the massive layoffs spike in 2012 in preparing for the medical device tax, the liberal bastion that California is can look in the mirror and wonder what the hell they we're thinking. "Heil Obama".
Here's a thought on additional cuts for ATEC. Maybe they should quit paying royalties and consulting fees to so many surgeons who do so little to justify the cost - not just true about ATEC but pervasive throughout the industry.
3:57 You must be the new Spine Art VP Sales. Have you learned the "French Poodle" technique yet? Its a little uncomfortable at first, but you'll get used to it.
ReplyDeleteThis comment has been removed by a blog administrator.
ReplyDeleteAnd the spiral downward begins...
ReplyDelete6:42. CENSOTED
ReplyDelete6:42
ReplyDeleteLET'S MAKE BELIEVE WE ARE IN CHURCH AND TIM TEBOW IS PRESIDING OVER THE SERVICE, REFRAIN TO CORRECT MY SPELLING
CENSORED
Sorry MM.....just having a little fun with 5:55. Love what you do.
ReplyDeleteMadame Toussaint, Keep posting, you are one funny dude or dudette. You must also be older, because there is no way the younger generation has a clue as to what the Maginot line is. LMAO
ReplyDeleteGreat reference to the Maginot line. It is a great example of how bad planning and poorly conceived strategies can have disastrous effects.
ReplyDeleteThe French Constructed the Maginot line between the end of WWI and WWII. The line was perfectly designed and impenetrable according to the French leaders - their planning and execution however was based on strategies from 25 years earlier. The key point here is the French didn't take into account the possibility of a war being differently than the previous one. The Germans didn't attack the Maginot defense line directly, they flanked the line and swooped in behind the defenses. France was defeated in a matter of days.
Could there be a lesson here for our industry?
Thumbs up to Madame Toussaint.
The Prof.
The iPad can be clumsy to type on. In my previous post I left out the word fought. The sentence should be "... possibility of a war being fought differently than the previous one."
ReplyDeleteThe Prof
"...buggery fusion..." made me laugh out loud. Nice one.
ReplyDeletePeople that don't know what the moginot line was give lap dances for a living. No need to pat yourself on the back for knowing that. 5:55 likes the moginot line reference as a metaphor for his life. He puts up defenses but continues to get out flanked. His lack of intelligence won't allow him to think outside the box and develop new tactics to win the war.
ReplyDelete10:57
ReplyDeleteI bet not one of our wives knows what it is....just an observation.
Goes back to the old saying "Why aren't attractive women rocket scientists? because they don't have to be."
Spinal USA may have some serious problems in the near future.
ReplyDelete10:57 and 11:47
ReplyDeleteYou're both the "egotistical arrogant male" that makes me cringe. Not all attractive women are "trophy wives" or have to be.
Fact - NOT observation.
Can we make this about spine and not your wanting for masculine attention...
ReplyDeletewho knows what about x-spine?
Let's get back on topic ... Osseon WILL be the next to fall ... poor leadership ... a Phd in Book publishing? How does THAT qualify you to run a spine company. Desperate companies do desperate things and Osseon is on their last leg ...
ReplyDeleteGotta agree with 4:35.
ReplyDeleteThese guys had an interesting technology that failed because of their leadership.
So why do these companies continue to rehash the same old relics?
ReplyDeleteIt's all about a calculated risk and investment with thes failed managers (like Vegas gamblers who think they are going to win back their losses with the next roll). Ever heard the saying "it's better to dance with the devil you know than the devil you don't know."?
ReplyDeleteIt's evident that the same old retreads just never cut it, and then, onto the next scam, promises, promises, promises but what does it say about the people in upper mgt and the bods, geniuses
ReplyDeleteAt least JnJ DePuy was smart enough to break off the agreement with Osseon BEFORE they made Stalculp and his real estate partners (investors) millionares.
ReplyDeletehey isn't he the dude that wears the hat? What an idiot!
ReplyDeleteWhat no comments on the demise of Zimmer Spine? Just heard they cancelled the NSM this year due to such huge losses last year. The writing seems to be on the wall.
ReplyDelete8:29
ReplyDeleteI know that news travels slow in the DePuy Spine circle. When was the Osseon agreement canceled with DePuy Spine, I've not heard a word about about the split.
Around Thanksgiving ... DePuy would not buy any more needles so Osseon sent them a 90 day notice. So the now the DePuy reps that had some business are scrambling to either stock their customers shelves or look for another product for their bag ...
ReplyDeleteIt was not Depuy but Osseon who cancelled the Contract. And as you say there is nothing better then Balloon. Osseon is coming out with a unipedicular steerable Balloon which would even kick the ass of Medtronic.
ReplyDeleteJust wait and watch the space. I agree Dfine is a scam.
The next company which will change the world of VCF will be Spinal venture out of Michigan. They are coming out with a technology called serpentine which is solid beads on a flexiable connection.
ReplyDeleteThis changes the whole implant system for VCF and make PMMA cement history. Secondly safe for IR as it can be retracted so least chance of complication.
Best of luck guys.
@8:07 if Osseon's balloon was so good why wouldn't DePuy take it and run with it in Europe?
ReplyDeleteOH that's right the dude in the hat is in charge still ...
And in case you didn't know there already IS another company that is EU approved for a steerable balloon ...
Keep drinking that orange kool aid!!
It seems someone has something against the man with the hat...... anyway i like him!
ReplyDeleteDepuy is not god of spine market! When I see a steerable Balloon from a EU company in my clinic I will believe....
@10.57 am did the dude with the hat throw you out of his company. Your comments come across as personality problem with the dude in the hat.
ReplyDeleteAs for your comment Depuy has no understanding of VCF market. They are trying to sell a inferior cement confidence produced by teknimed out of France for $2000 with no scientific or clinical trial and evidence.
I know the VCF market very well and I was at eurospine and I did not see any steerable balloon. If there was another steerable balloon already in the market I do not think Medtronics would be evaluating osseon for acquisition.
Ulrich is next
ReplyDelete@5:17 Your comment about "his company" is what has ruined this industry. Management has lost focus ... its about THE PATIENTS!
ReplyDeleteToo many CEO's get their ego's bruised and make bad decisions but for some, desperate times leads to desperate measures. Only time will tell.
If a company has a safe product that delivers consistent results, the rest will all fall in line.
Confidence IS the best cement on the market - why do you think kyphon bought it all those years ago? Its the best cement because of its viscosity ... and if you really "knew the VCF market very well" you would know this!
Why because Confidence produces a consistent product.
As far as your comments about Medtronic and Osseon - that's pretty old news. Besides, Medtronic already made one mistake by buying kyphon for almost $4billion do you think they would really lay out any more money for another VCF therapy?
Osseon has been promising a steerable balloon for over 3 years, if its so great why haven't they delivered on it? If the steerable needle is so great why isn't DePuy selling it anymore?
As far as the hat comment - no personality issues - I think its cool when some has a "signature" that makes them stand out without even mentioning their name and if you are so well versed in this market then you know that "the hat" is JOHN STALCUP's signature.
Fair thee well ... RIP
BOOM!
ReplyDeletehttp://investors.alphatecspine.com/releasedetail.cfm?ReleaseID=637471
7:20 Are you serious? You really think Kyphon bought Disc-O-Tech for the confidence system. DOT was bought for the IP it held. Then when Medtronic bought Kyphon ( again large part for the IP they held) they had to decide what to sell off their own Arcuate system or Confidence. They sold confidence and then scrapped Arcuate about 6 months later.
ReplyDelete10.21 spot on. Confidence is as good as any high viscosity cement. At the end of the day IP counts. Well Kyphon/Medtronics has not done any innovation in last 10 years.
ReplyDeleteTechnology changes every 2 years.with ME2 balloon Medtronics has nothing to offer. That is hy they are desperate for something unique with IP. Unfortunately Medtronic filed its patent application for steerable balloon after Osseon. If they want a steerable Balloon they will have to go to go to the dude with the hat.
Like I said Depuy is run by bunch of guys who do not understand the VCF market and are so worried adopting technology . That is why they are still behind medtronics and soon behind Globus and K2M.
@7.20 you sound like a depuy rep thinking that depuy is the only spine company in this world. If depuy does not sell the needle then it's not good enough. Depuy has no VCF strategy. It just wants to make money by selling a 47$ cement for $2000. Do you think that is patient care. That is bull shit.
ReplyDeleteKyphon, care fusion is patient care. If Stryker understood the VCF market better after few mistakes and even Zimmer did well.
When osseons balloon is out in Europe next month you will understand it takes time to get safe product out in the market.
I know dude in hat is John Stalcup and he is not a seasoned Medical industry guy but for what he is he has done a great job.
Osseon is a scam, Arcuate was positively bad and FDA still regrets they ever let it in, Confidence cement is much too viscous, Dfine is cumbersome, Benvenu is going round in circles, and a balloon may provide some benefit in less than 5% of cases. As with everything else in spine, there are a lot of useless yet expensive products in VCF world.
ReplyDelete9.19 ----> it seems you have no idea about VCF technology. I think you need to inform yourself better. Talk to them after the procedure, follow them up regularly and then you will know how useful this technology is.
ReplyDeleteMore technology gives us the opportunity to drive the prices down. You reps think you are MD but it's an unfortunate fact that you have to come to us and sell your technology. Without us validating it the industry would not exist.
Osseon, Kyphon Dfine and Benvenue have there place in VCF management.
Confidence RIP
ReplyDelete11.15, you're drinking the usual Koolaid. Vertebroplasty is extremely useful and effective, however the gimmicky stuff that you tout serves no other purpose than lining your pocket. Improvements in the material are still needed, but a steerable needle to say you created a void? Give me a break!
ReplyDelete2.57 PM The dude in the hat gave you a break. What would you understand the value of an excellent technology?
ReplyDeleteKeep on lining the pocket of Depuy selling a cement work 47$ for 2000$. Soon you will know how confidence disappers from the market, except used by depuys so called paid consultants.
8.02, based on the length and extend of my experience in this particular field my guess is that I have forgotten more about all these excellent technologies than you ever knew about them in the first place. As a result I will not have them used on any of my family. Don't worry, given your posts I know you will question that too. In the final analysis it does not matter as thanks to Kyphon, NEJM and the AAOS the treatment of VCFs has become completely politicized. The only good thing that came out of the whole mess is that it provided the most clear indication yet that even the NEJM is ultimately motivated by political considerations.
ReplyDelete12.14 PM still I would say you don't know enough to make a sensible opinion on the technology. When you meet me face to face one day you will know the truth. Till then enjoy life.;-)
ReplyDeleteJust to open your eyes guy I did a case where one pedicle was missing and at the same side there was a tumour which needed to be stabilised. Posterior wall was also breached.
ReplyDeleteEntering from the only pedicle intact I could reach the tumour and inject some cement inside the tumour and the patient was pain free. Now only osseon offered that technology.
Therefore, I would say osseon has a place in VCF technology which is unique and directional needle has its place. Everyone has his opinion and I believe osseon has its place in VCF technology.
Osseon might have its place but they lack the management to be successful! And the product is too inconsistent ! The needle is unreliable and the newest version is an improvement but they continue to have quality issues!
ReplyDeleteI heard there was an "issue" with the newest version already but they never really follow the FDA rules. Their VP of quality and regulatory even resigned because of questionable practices overseas.
Is that the reason why JnJ walked away?
I can use the CareFusion needle and get through one pedicle as well and complete the same tumor case for half the price
ReplyDelete6:10, you did not try to reduce the size of the tumor? You just injected cement which has the potential to push tumor into soft tissues such as nerve roots, and push tumor cells into the bloodstream? The more viscous the cement the higher that risk. A balloon would make this even worse, I've seen cases with tumors firmly pushed into the spinal cord. Why did you not do an ablation first and create space, even if the patient has general mets?
ReplyDelete7.40 AM RF was done and patient was terminal. Was done as palliative treatment .
ReplyDeleteThe dude in the hat got demoted from CEO - word is that he is on the way out.
ReplyDeleteA new CEO is supposed to come in within in days which means the Dude in the hat days are numbered. As I understand, all of the employees can't wait for him to be gone! I was told it is the most hostile work environment they have ever experienced.
ReplyDeleteWell, that didn't happen. He fired 10 of us last week including the CFO. He kept his wife, best friend and his newphew all of which don't do the work we did. Good luck! What is the board of directors thinking?
ReplyDeleteIts all about survival. I think it was cost reduction activity by the the NEW CEO which the Dude had not done till now.
ReplyDeleteThis comment has been removed by a blog administrator.
ReplyDeleteIt is aweful that they let all of our co-workers go. I am happy to still have a job but this place is worse now that all of the remaining employees are doing three jobs. And since the DIH lost his country club membership for lack of payment, he is in the office more. No place to go, I suppose.
ReplyDeleteThis comment has been removed by a blog administrator.
ReplyDeleteOk not sure about other comments but here is what my friend said. Friend is an employee. New guy came in June. DIH is now relegated to sales. Manufacturing is working OT to make balloon for europe,Aesculap. Not sure about us distribution. Website was updated by new guy to show what's happening in Europe. Said they announced a deal in Brazil but not sure of details. Friend said job search may end since outlook has changed.
ReplyDeleteThis comment has been removed by a blog administrator.
ReplyDeleteDIH has been fired.
ReplyDeleteDeal DIH,
ReplyDeleteGood riddance from the 40 plus employees you so cold heartedly let go. These are the passionate and dedicated people who built the product and the company while you were AWOL, friviously spending our loyal investors money on your numerous European vacations. Please be certain to use any one of our names as a reference for your next position. The company is a better place without you.
Osseon gets 510K clearance from FDA for the Balloon. But it needs infusion of green to make it move forward. Will RC be able to pull the rabbit out of the hat?
ReplyDeleteYep... and he did!
ReplyDeleteResults are in. John Stalcup, after being removed as CEO is now officially off the Board of Directors. Also known as DIH
ReplyDeleteOsseon reported to its shareholders that month to month sales have increased, new products are in the pipeline, costs are down considerably. New products are selling well and recent cadaver labs have been very productive for the sales staff. With recent downsizing at competitors it seems like opportunities for knowledgeable personnel are available for distribution, sales and training/case coverage.
ReplyDeleteAs an early investor I must say its nice to hear
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ReplyDelete