Kyphon receives broad U.S. patent for kyphoplasty method through 2014

By Lisa Kerner

Erie, Pa., May 1 - Kyphon Inc. expanded its intellectual property coverage over kyphoplasty, the minimally invasive procedure for treating spinal fractures caused by osteoporosis or cancer, with issuance of U.S. Patent No. 6,981,981, a method patent covering various aspects of performing the procedure that expires in 2014.

The '981 patent covers the method of introducing an expandable device into a vertebral body, expanding the device to compact a region of cancellous bone inside the vertebra, and then filling the compacted region.

"We believe the '981 patent significantly extends our patent coverage for key aspects of the fundamental method of performing kyphoplasty," president and chief executive officer Richard Mott said in a company news release.

Kyphon's U.S. patent portfolio includes more than 130 patents and patent applications, with additional filings in other countries, including Europe and Asia.

Located in Sunnydale, Calif., Kyphon develops and markets medical devices designed to restore spinal function using minimally invasive technologies.

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