Autor: christine.stump@joimax.com

The 8th Annual Congress of the Chinese Association of Orthopaedic Surgeons (CAOS) was held at the Beijing International Convention Center, Beijing, China on May 7-10.
joimax^® joined this important international event both as an exhibitor and as an education partner.
CAOS, in collaboration with NASS, created the “Techniques in Complex Spine Surgery” program which featured six 1-hour live technique demonstrations, two 3-hour hands-on cadaver workshops, and five lectures with discussion. As expert support for this exciting program, CAOS invited two members of the joimax^® Faculty Team: Dr. Guntram Krzok, Friedrichroda, Germany and Dr. Ralf Wagner, Frankfurt, Germany.
The two surgeons delivered well-visited lectures and demonstrated the joimax^® TESSYS^® technique. As a highlight of the event, the technique demonstrations were shared via webcast and more than 1000 surgeons viewed the program in the Beijing convention hall. More than 26,000 surgeons, surgical nurses and technicians viewed the demos online which enabled maximum visibility for joimax and its technologies.

The joimax^® team members who supported the event on-site were deeply impressed by the strong interest in the latest spine surgery systems coming from many Chinese surgeons. Needless to say China is the largest medical market in the world and joimax^® will continue to strengthen its relationship with local partners and training centers.

Live webcast during joimax^® TESSYS^® technique demonstration at CAOS 2015.

From May 2-6, the 83rd American Association of Neurological Surgeons (AANS) Annual Scientific Meeting welcomed more than 3,000 medical attendees to Washington, D.C., to celebrate and reflect on both the history and future of neurosurgery.

The team from joimax® Inc. (Irvine, CA, US) participated in this important event as a corporate partner and showcased its products for minimally invasive spine surgery (MISS). Traffic to the booth was high and the team was very satisfied with the outcome of the meeting. One topic that came up during many discussions with the visiting attendees was the screw-rod system Percusys® for spinal stabilization. The product received 510k clearance in March.

joimax® founder and CEO Wolfgang Ries from Karlsruhe, Germany, was invited as the keynote speaker for the Practical Clinic session “Invention and Innovation in Neuro- and Spine Surgery”. His one hour lecture on the first day of the AANS meeting presented a compelling picture on how joimax® evolved since 2001 when the company was founded. Key products and technologies were presented as well which led to engaged discussions after the lecture. Teodoro Forcht-Dagi, Co-Director of the session, commented: „joimax® is a remarkable example of an innovative start-up company that evolved to a successful mid-size local company. Its efforts to work with surgeons and refine MISS technology for the safety and benefit of patients are admirable. A large part of its success is attributable to the combination of technical quality and meticulous training. The company’s contribution to the development of MISS is huge.”

„The AANS Annual Meeting is extremely worthwhile to be at.” emphasized Wolfgang Ries. “For joimax® it was a great opportunity to interact with neurosurgeons and to discuss our well-established MISS techniques and products – made in Germany.”

TORONTO, Dec. 12, 2014 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — SDRI, developer of SYNERGY Disc and alternative spine technologies, enters into a five-year agreement with JOIMAX GmbH for exclusive rights to market and distribute the company’s SYNERGY family of products in Germany, Austria and Switzerland.

Karlsruhe-based Joimax, one of the leading medical device companies for minimally invasive spinal surgery, officially kicked off the alliance during an evening reception on December 11, during the 9th Annual German Spine Surgeons Meeting 2014 in Leipzig, Germany. Joimax also sponsored a luncheon symposium on December 12, where Dr. Thomas Bierstedt, and Dr. Bernd Illerhaus, both neurosurgeons from Orthopedic Neurosurgery Center (ONZ) in Datteln, shared their initial clinical experience and preliminary results utilizing the SYNERGY Disc for motion preservation procedures.

The SYNERGY Disc is the world’s first cervical disc replacement that is designed specifically to actively correct pre-operative deformity, prevent post-operative misalignment and provide optimal stability for multi-level procedures. The SYNERGY Disc incorporates a revolutionary geometry, offering multiple alignment corrections to provide surgeons with reliable and precise control of lordosis and sagittal balance.

The first clinical cases with the SYNERGY Disc were performed in 2009, in Europe. These pilot cases with the long-term, follow-up data have recently been submitted for publication.

“We are very excited with the initial results from Germany, which have validated our pilot cases,” commented SDRI’s Chief Executive Officer, Devesh Menawat. “We are eagerly anticipating the next follow-up periods and engaging in the next steps of our strategy designed to gain regulatory approval for our SYNERY Disc in the United States.”

Dr. Kemal Yucesoy, a neurosurgeon involved in the pilot study, stated: “The gold standard (cervical fusion) involves proper reconstruction of sagittal balance following decompression. Conventional disc replacements, however, do just the opposite; they restore range of motion but they have an unpredictable impact on sagittal balance. The Synergy Disc combines the best of both of these very successful treatments by restoring range of motion and normal sagittal balance to the patient. Restoring alignment of the spine is vital for long-term success of cervical disc replacements. Our long-term follow-up has demonstrated outstanding results. The SYNERGY Disc will help to expand the indications for cervical arthroplasty.”

“SDRI’s SYNERGY Disc addresses a significant unmet clinical need in patients suffering from alignment problems who, today, have no viable option,” said Wolfgang Ries, Joimax founder, chief executive officer and president. “We have begun to commercialize the product in Germany and early feedback from surgeons is very positive. We look forward to broadening the penetration for SYNERGY in German hospitals and delivering this surgical solution to doctors and hospitals in Austria and Switzerland.”

“Germany, Austria and Switzerland represent key international markets for our company,” added SDRI President Glenn Webb. “The size of these markets for spine products, combined with Joimax’s reputation for delivering relevant solutions and effective training for spine surgeons, provides us with a great opportunity for growth and to expand the adoption of our Synergy technologies into other markets. This alliance further supports our mission to give options to patients, who, otherwise, have no alternative treatments available.”

Synergy Disc is a registered trademark of SDRI. Joimax is a registered trademark of Joimax GmbH.

About Joimax GmbH.

Joimax GmbH, based in Karlsruhe, Germany, focuses on the development, production and marketing of technologies and methods of endoscopic spinal surgery. The complete Joimax systems provide the best possible visualization, tissue removal, stabilization and documentation in one, so the surgeon can work flexibly, independently and cost-effectively. The Joimax CM3, which includes surgery visitations, cadaver workshops and surgery support by experienced medical trainers and application specialists, employs a three-stage education program to train surgeons on the safe application of each specific surgery technique.

About SDRI, Inc.

Synergy Disc Replacement, Inc. (SDRI), headquartered in Toronto, Ontario, delivers alternative spinal technology solutions to solve complex surgical problems. The SDRI family of products include the SYNERGY® Cervical Disc. SYNERGY is the first and only artificial cervical disc to unite the needs for sagittal balance and motion, making it the only viable alternative to fusion in patients with pre-operative spine alignment issues.

A photo accompanying this release are available at: http://www.globenewswire.com/newsroom/prs/?pkgid=29639

Suzie Robinson, APR
Media and Investor Relations
| 214-577-9329

– See more at: http://globenewswire.com/news-release/2014/12/12/690985/10112195/en/SDRI-Appoints-JOIMAX-as-Exclusive-Distributor-for-SYNERGY-Cervical-Disc-in-Germany-Austria-and-Switzerland.html#sthash.Qxd2qOZ3.dpuf

Karlsruhe – Spine experts from across the world met at the beginning of August at COMINCO (Brazilian Congress of Minimally Invasive Spine Surgery) in São Paulo. This was the fifth time that COMINCO has taken place and it provided an opportunity for large numbers of experts to share information and ideas in the fields of neurosurgery and orthopedics.

Minimally invasive treatment methods and their successes from the patient’s perspective were the focus of the congress. The very latest surgical possibilities and techniques were presented in symposia, workshops, and numerous lectures to a very high scientific standard. joimax® GmbH trainer, Dr. med. Ralf Wagner from Frankfurt, Germany, notably introduced TESSYS® in his presentation “Endoscopy of the lumbar spine in degenerative diseases.” This technique provides transforaminal access to the lumbar spine for treatment of herniated discs and stenosis – an osseous narrowing of the spinal canal.

Karlsruhe – joimax^® opens the 3rd Training and Reference Center in Shanghai, China, at Changzheng Hospital, Tongji University, under the direction of Prof. Ye Xiaojian. The prestigious university and its affiliated Tung-Chee Hospital were founded in 1907 by the German government as its first major project in foreign cultural policy.

It is a prime example of Sino-German collaboration, which continues to this day at Tongji University and also at other centers in Chongqing at Xinqiao Hospital under the direction of Prof. Zhou Yue, and in Beijing at the General Hospital of the People’s Liberation Army (PLAGH) under the direction of Prof. Zhang Xifeng. The Training & Reference Centers provide targeted training to surgeons in endoscopic treatment methods on the spine as part of the joimax^® Education Program. Above all, this features TESSYS^®, the technique of transforaminal access to the lumbar spine for treatment of herniated discs and stenosis – an osseous narrowing of the spinal canal. Qualified and standardized training in these surgical techniques is essential. joimax^® is therefore supporting the basic principle that patients should always receive high quality, reliable, and safe therapy in line with the very latest technology and scientific progress.