Consolidation in the Spinal Implant Market

Executive Summary

This is the second big deal in the spinal implant market in the last three months. With its acquisition of Acromed, DePuy establishes itself as a strong Number 2 in what company officials believe is the fastest growing market in orthopedics today. Moreover, it did so at a fraction of the price Sulzer paid to get SpineTech just a couple of years earlier. While industry officials shake their heads at Sulzer's largesse, company officials are betting that SpineTech's cage technology represents a breakthrough product in spinal implants.