St. Jude Medical Acquires Spinal Modulation, Inc.
St. Jude Medical recently announced that it has completed the acquisition of Spinal Modulation, Inc. In June of 2013, St. Jude invested $40 million in Spinal Modulation for which it received an exclusive option (now exercised) to purchase the company for a maximum of $300 million, plus milestone payments. According to St. Jude Medical’s earlier press release, St. Jude Medical agreed to pay Spinal Modulation $175 million upon closing with milestone payments due upon FDA approval of Spinal Modulation’s Axium Neurostimulator System.
St. Jude Medical describes the Axium system (shown to the right) as a form of spinal cord stimulation (SCS) that targets a neural structure within the spine called the dorsal root ganglion (DRG). The DRG contains the primary sensory neurons that transmit pain signals from the peripheral nerves to the brain. The system uses an implantable medical device to deliver mild electrical pulses to the DRG. These pulses mask or interrupt pain signals as they travel to the brain.
According to St. Jude,
[w]ith the closing of the acquisition, St. Jude Medical has become the only medical device manufacturer in the world to offer radiofrequency ablation (RFA), spinal cord stimulation (SCS) and dorsal root ganglion (DRG) stimulation therapy solutions for the treatment of chronic pain.
According to its website, St. Jude Medical is a global medical device company, headquartered in St. Paul, Minnesota, offering a wide array of products in diverse fields.
Spinal Modulation, Inc., headquartered in Menlo Park, California, focuses on providing treatment options for patients suffering severe chronic pain.
Medtronic Continues Expansion After Covidien Acquisition
Medtronic PLC recently announced its acquisition of Advanced Uro-Solutions, a Tennessee-based privately-held developer of neurostimulation products for treatment of bladder control issues. According to the Star Tribune, the terms of the acquisition, which closed in December 2014, were not disclosed.
Medtronic describes itself as a leader in the field of neuromodulation, the targeted and regulated delivery of electrical impulses and pharmaceuticals to specific sites in the nervous system. Medtronic states that its current portfolio includes implantable neurostimulation and targeted drug delivery systems for management of chronic pain, common movement disorders, spasticity, and urologic and gastrointestinal disorders.
Advanced Uro-Solutions manufactures a percutaneous tibial nerve stimulation system called the NURO™. The NURO is promoted for use in therapy that involves a small external stimulator and a single, reusable lead. It is described as providing temporary stimulation to the tibial nerve and treatment to patients with overactive bladder (OAB) and other urinary irregularities. According to the FDA’s 510(k) Premarket Notification Database, the NURO device was cleared by the FDA for the treatment of OAB as being substantially equivalent to a predicate device, the Urgent PC Stimulator (manufactured by Uroplasty, Inc.).
The USPTO Assignment database includes records for three patents and patent applications that have been assigned to Advanced Uro-Solutions LLC, including: U.S. Pat. Pub. No. 2014/0288613, U.S. Pat. No. 8,818,520, and U.S. Pat. No. 8,660,646. Each of these is entitled “Percutaneous Tibial Nerve Stimulator.” FIG. 2 of the ‘646 patent is shown to the left.
Medtronic states that it plans to implement the NURO system in the U.S. within the next 12 months, adding to its portfolio of urinary and bowel control therapies. Medtronic’s acquisition of Advanced Uro-Solutions follows shortly after its recent $49 Billion acquisition of Covidien.
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