Authored: January 23, 2019
The US spinal implant market is currently the largest in the world, standing at $12 billion and estimated to reach $17 billion by 2021. Despite the massive growth rate, when it comes to quality medical device supply, the industry appears to have fallen short outside of the large mainstay players at the top. The increasing complexity of devices, rising cost pressures, and the murky intent of physician-owned distributorships all contribute to the widening gap in optimal product quality and performance.
In such a scenario, breaking all barriers in quality medical device development and distribution is Astura Medical, a high-growth and innovative spine technology company. Founded in 2014, Astura Medical is governed by a single aim: to bring best-in-class instrumentation and implants to independent distributors and their surgeons. As such, the company doesn’t have physician ownership and steers away from any physician-owned distributorships, while adopting best practices at every stage of developing, manufacturing, and commercial distribution of its technology.
Joel Gambrell, Co-Founder, President, and CEO of Astura Medical and an industry veteran with two decades of experience in medical device sales and distribution, says, “In my years of service I noticed how the market was burgeoning with new players, but very few companies aced the sophistication that spinal instrumentation requires. Instead, companies were spending significant time and resources to develop customized solutions to fill the voids of their systems in order to keep up with the demands of surgeons.” Given their precise engineering, high speed to market, and above all a passion for innovation, today Astura Medical is gaining significant momentum and a reputation for delivering high-quality solutions that is impressive for a startup company given the company’s short time being in the market.
Unlike other manufacturers that provide generic or standard instruments, what makes Astura Medical a cut above the rest is their attention to detail for every aspect of each device. “Leveraging our many years of experience as well as valuable surgeon input, we bring to the table instrumentation that is crafted to perfection in terms of balance, aesthetics, ergonomics, and functionality,” states Gambrell.
The company has successfully delivered numerous projects to the market, all in 15 months or less. Astura’s current portfolio includes three different material options for its interbody portfolio cages including acid-etched titanium, PEEK, and Hydroxyapatite (HA) PEEK available for ACDF’s, PLIF’s, TLIF’s, or OTLIF’s. To complement its interbody portfolio, Astura provides a maximum angle anterior cervical plating system, as well as a thoracolumbar fixation system with several pedicle screw options including three different thread pitch options in dual-lead, cortical cancellous, or full cortical. The latest addition to its solution suite is Bridalveil OCT, the most comprehensive posterior occipital-cervical-thoracic system on the market today that has empowered surgeons to treat even the most complex cases with ease.
To throw better light on Astura Medical’s unique value proposition, Gambrell gives an example of a surgeon who struggled for years to attain the right cervical plate accommodating for the varying patient anatomy in their practice. On opting for Astura Medical’s system that features a lagging capability with an easy, yet reliable and robust locking mechanism, the surgeon could complete his cases with confidence every time. As a result of their cutting-edge solutions, the company witnessed an annual revenue increase of 312 percent last year. They also attained a significant credit line from the Bank of America to which Gambrell remarked, “Just the fact that a prominent bank is partnering with us at this stage, self-explains our strong financial position and the ingenuity of our solutions.”
In the coming months, Astura will launch two more systems—an Expandable Lumbar Interbody System and Minimally Invasive Screw System. Then in 2019, the company will bring a Lateral Lumbar Interbody Fusion (LLIF), Standalone Anterior Lumbar Interbody Fusion (ALIF), and a Standalone cervical ACDF system to market. Given their strong game plan and quality solutions, there is no contending that Astura Medical brings to the market the most superior medical devices that a distributor can get.
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