With millions of people suffering from chronic back pain, Discure Technologies Ltd. is hoping that its bioelectronic therapy, the Discure system, will soon bring relief.

The widespread need for cartilage repair may have bred optimism on the part of Spinalcyte LLC when it filed a related patent in 2014, but the Patent Trial and Appeal Board has affirmed a rejection of the patent due to lack of enablement, an object lesson regarding the need for clarity in patent applications.

Globus Medical Inc. reported it is buying Nevro Corp. in an all-cash transaction. Under the terms of the agreement, which was unanimously approved by the boards of both companies, Globus will acquire all shares of Nevro for $5.85 per share. The transaction represents a total equity value of approximately $250 million.

In a remarkably news-filled earnings call on Jan. 28, Stryker Corp. revealed plans to sell its U.S. and spinal implants business to Viscogliosi Brothers LLC for an undisclosed sum, announced the retirement of Chief Financial Officer Glenn Boehnlein on April 1, reported sales growth of 11% for the fourth quarter and 10% for the full year 2024 and said the $4.9 billion acquisition of Inari Medical Inc. should close by the end of February.

Smith & Nephew plc received U.S. FDA 510(k) clearance for Aetos Stemless, its stemless anatomic total shoulder implant. The greenlight for the device is a boon for the company’s orthopedics portfolio, which faces increasing pressure from U.S. competitors.

Inosys Korea Co. Ltd. gained U.S. FDA 510(k) clearance for Unispace, a cervical spine cage manufactured with 3D printing technology. Unispace can be used during spinal fusion surgery, Busan-based Inosys said, wherein operators can remove a patient’s diseased or damaged disc and replace it with the cervical cage to maintain the original length of the spine.

After Novosis Putty gained U.S. FDA breakthrough device designation of bio-fusion spine implantation device, South Korea’s Cgbio Co. Ltd. posted positive findings of similar ceramic bone graft, Novosis, to lay groundwork for U.S. market entry.

Researchers have developed a method to repair nerve connections in patients with spinal cord injuries using red and near-infrared light. The team from the University of Birmingham, U.K., are now planning to develop an implantable device to help surgeons protect and repair the spinal cord.

The U.S. FDA issued a draft guidance for premarket applications for class II bone grafting devices, a policy that would supplement a guidance issued nearly two decades ago.

Renovos Biologics Ltd. was granted a U.S. FDA breakthrough device designation for its Renovite BMP-2 (bone morphogenetic protein-2) product, which is designed for interbody spinal fusion.