NuVasive Launches Titanium Spine Implant Modulus TLIF-O

NuVasive, Inc. (NASDAQ:NUVA) recently announced the commercial launch of Modulus TLIF-O, a porous titanium spine implant. The system is designed for the transforaminal lumbar interbody fusion (TLIF) procedure. The move broadens the application of the Advanced Materials Science (AMS) portfolio to more of its procedural offerings.

More About the Spine Implant

Based on pre-clinical data, Modulus TLIF-O is equipped with a porous surface technology that facilitates bone in-growth and bone on-growth. Also, it can achieve stronger osseointegration compared with solid implants that have smooth or rough surfaces. The porous and roughened endplate design promotes new bone on-growth at four weeks. This marks the greatest integration strength by 12 weeks compared with alternative implant materials. The optimized lattice structure enables enhanced imaging for visualization of spinal fusion compared with solid titanium interbody implants.

Complying to the AMS core principles of surface, structure and imaging, NuVasive continues to innovate design as well as manufacture procedures that combine the intrinsic benefits of porosity with the advantageous material properties of polyetheretherketone (PEEK) and titanium. This provides surgeons with a suite of advanced material implant options that help them cater to patient's needs.

Market Prospects

Per Market Research Future, the global market for spinal implants is estimated to witness a CAGR of approximately 5.5% during the forecast period of 2017-2023. Hence the launch of the product is strategic.

Recent developments

Of late, NuVasive has been investing in several developments which are expected to strengthen its position in the spine implant market.

For investors’ note, the company plans to launch the Modulus TLIF-A spine implant later this summer. This integrates the Modulus surface technology with a specific design for anterior implant positioning for the TLIF procedure.

In April, 2019, NuVasive announced the first-case uses of Cohere XLIF, the first-of-its-kind lateral Porous PEEK implant for XLIF and lateral single-position surgery. The incorporation of the Porous PEEK technology into implants for lateral single-position surgery is a major boost to the Advanced Materials Science implant portfolio.

Recently, the company announced that it is on track to launch the X360 system integrated with Pulse for lateral single-position surgery.

Apart from these developments, the company announced the results of a clinical study that concludes that the NuVasive proprietary Cohere Porous polyetheretherketone (PEEK) implant highlights a clear benefit in promoting early outcomes over structural allograft and smooth PEEK in anterior cervical discectomy as well as fusion (ACDF) procedures.

Price Performance

In the past three months, the stock has improved 3.1% compared with the industry’s decline of 0.3%.

Zacks Rank and Key Picks

NuVasive currently carries a Zacks Rank # 3 (Hold).

Some better-ranked stocks in the broader medical space are Cerner Corporation (NASDAQ:CERN) , Penumbra (NYSE:PEN) and Bruker Corporation (NASDAQ:BRKR) . The stocks currently carry a Zacks Rank #2 (Buy). You can see the complete list of today’s Zacks #1(Strong Buy) Rank stocks here.

Cerner’s long-term earnings growth rate is expected to be 13.5%.

Penumbra’s long-term earnings growth rate is projected at 21.5%.

Bruker’s long-term earnings growth rate is estimated at 11.7%.

Breakout Biotech Stocks with Triple-Digit Profit Potential

The biotech sector is projected to surge beyond $775 billion by 2024 as scientists develop treatments for thousands of diseases. They’re also finding ways to edit the human genome to literally erase our vulnerability to these diseases. Zacks has just released Century of Biology: 7 Biotech Stocks to Buy Right Now to help investors profit from 7 stocks poised for outperformance. Our recent biotech recommendations have produced gains of +98%, +119% and +164% in as little as 1 month. The stocks in this report could perform even better.

See these 7 breakthrough stocks now>>