CareFusion
This article was originally published in The Gray Sheet
Executive Summary
Vertebroplasty device maker CareFusion plans to enter the estimated $500 million-$600 million kyphoplasty market with the April launch of a new device in its AVAmax line, the firm said during its Feb. 9 second-quarter 2010 earnings call. Medtronic's Kyphon kyphoplasty balloon spine stabilization system currently leads the market. CareFusion downplayed the threat of intellectual property battles, saying Medtronic's patents were either expired or unrelated to CareFusion's device, though J.P. Morgan analyst Michael Weinstein expects Medtronic to initiate legal action closer to U.S. launch. CareFusion, which spun off from Cardinal Health last September, recorded second-quarter revenues of $1.02 billion, up 5%, or 2% on a constant currency basis, from the prior-year quarter