Bacterin International Holdings, a company involved in the development of bone graft material and antimicrobial coatings, has presented its study showing OsteoSponge equivalence to rhBMP-2 in spinal fusion, at the American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons (AAOS) 2012 Annual Meeting in San Francisco, CA, US.

Bacterin International Holdings, a company involved in the development of bone graft material and antimicrobial coatings, has presented its study showing OsteoSponge equivalence to rhBMP-2 in spinal fusion, at the American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons (AAOS) 2012 Annual Meeting in San Francisco, CA, US.

Bacterin said that orthopedic surgeons have used Bacterin’s bone graft implants more than 100,000 times since OsteoSponge release, due to its unique handling properties, ability to irrigate the site, and quick insertion of the OsteoSponge scaffold into a bony defect or a spinal interbody cage.

OsteoSponge is used in conjunction with the patients’ own bone marrow aspirate, and is an effective osteoinductive and osteoconductive bone scaffold that aids in spinal fusion, said the company.

Bacterin chairman and CEO Guy Cook said AAOS is a great stage to get in front of orthopaedic surgeons, who are the users of OsteoSponge.

"Data from this study further validates OsteoSponge’s effectiveness in spinal fusion surgery, and we were pleased to present to and meet with a highly targeted audience," Cook said.

The study, first presented at EuroSpine 2011 in Milan, Italy in October 2011, was conducted in collaboration with researchers at the Salt Lake Orthopaedic Clinic, Spine Surgery of Salt Lake City.

According to the two-year prospective, randomized, and blinded clinical data, OsteoSponge is equivalent to rhBMP-2 in achieving an interbody fusion based upon radiographic assessment, CT scans, and quality of life outcomes.

The company claims that patients receiving the OsteoSponge graft reported statistically significant less leg pain at one year relative to the rhBMP-2 group.