K2M announces technology acquisition and debut of Blue Ridge Hybrid Cervical Plate System

K2M Inc. revealed the Blue Ridge Hybrid Cervical Plate System at the 2011 North American Spine Society Annual Meeting in Chicago.

According to a K2M company press release, the worldwide rights to the one-step locking technology that is used in the Blue Ridge system were acquired in an exclusive deal with Amendia. This acquisition marks the 1-year anniversary of an investment made by the private equity firm, Welsh, Carson, Anderson and Stowe, which has allowed K2M to grow and develop products.

“We are very excited about this new licensing agreement, the relationship developed with the K2M team, and look forward to mutual opportunities that may arise as Amendia continues to connect with its very innovative surgeon base and talented employees,” Jeff Smith, president and chief executive officer of Amendia, stated in the release. “Through K2M’s rigorous selection of our cervical plate systems over the last year, Amendia feels strongly that our team’s efforts have been properly recognized and validated. K2M is a world class organization, and we are very pleased to be a part of this transaction.”

The Blue Ridge system features a simple nitinol locking mechanism that reportedly engages seamlessly during screw insertion and requires no additional locking steps. According to the press release, the system also supports fixed and variable screws, providing the flexibility to create constrained, semi-constrained or hybrid screw constructs.

James Robinson, MD, the designing neurosurgeon, stated in the press release, “Blue Ridge provides incredible ease of use. You do not feel any resistance as the screw passes the self-locking mechanism and, yet, it is securely locked. Additionally, the unlocking tool is simple and intuitive.”