SAN JOSE, Calif., April 8, 2011—Baxano, Inc. (www.baxano.com) today announced that the iO-FlexTM System used in the decompression of lumbar spinal stenosis has won a 2011 Medical Design Excellence Award, the premier awards program for the medical technology community.
The MDEA competition is open worldwide to companies and individuals involved in the design, engineering, manufacture, or distribution of finished medical devices or medical packaging. The iO-Flex System was selected after a comprehensive review by an impartial, multidisciplinary panel of third-party jurors with expertise in biomedical engineering, human factors, industrial design, medicine, and diagnostics. The iO-Flex System was selected for overcoming the technological challenges of achieving targeted removal of difficult-to-access diseased tissue, and for its ergonomic and intuitive design.
“We are extremely pleased to earn the 2011 Medical Design Excellence Award. This award recognizes the collaborative efforts of our entire engineering team and physician advisors for developing intuitive and patient-centric devices. The iO-Flex system represents a revolutionary game changing technology for less invasive spine surgery,” said Mike Wallace, Senior Vice President of Research, Development and Operations of Baxano, Inc. “The MDEA recognizes the design achievement of the iO-Flex System’s inside-out approach for decompression of lumbar spinal stenosis.”
“This is the third award recognizing the iO-Flex System in under a year, in addition to the very positive reception we have received for the iO-Flex System from surgeons, hospitals and most importantly patients suffering with lumbar spinal stenosis. We are honored by another recognition of the value of our product within the medical device engineering community,” said Tony Recupero, President and CEO of Baxano.
###About the Medical Design Excellence Awards:The Medical Design Excellence Awards competition (www.MDEAwards.com) is organized and presented by UBM Canon (Los Angeles) and is the only awards program that exclusively recognizes contributions and advances in the design of medical products. Entries are evaluated on the basis of their design and engineering features, including innovative use of materials, user related functions that improve healthcare delivery and change traditional medical attitudes or practices, features that provide enhanced benefits to the patient, and the ability of the product development team to overcome design and engineering challenges so that the product meets its clinical objectives.MKT1977.A (ECO: 1370)
About Baxano, Inc. Based in San Jose, CA, Baxano, Inc., (www.BAXANO.com) is focused on developing innovative solutions that restore spine function, preserve healthy tissue, and enable a better quality of life for patients. Baxano, Inc. is the developer of the iO-Flex™ System which is an advancement in surgical technology for central, lateral recess and foraminal lumbar stenosis. This unique technology uses thin, flexible instruments through an open exposure or a minimally invasive tube to provide precision lumbar decompression from the “inside out” (“iO”). This “over the wire” approach allows surgeons to address targeted impinging tissue with a non-implant, direct decompression, while preserving facet joint integrity. Up to four nerve roots may be decompressed through a single-point access using this system.
Note:Baxano™ and iO-Flex™ are trademarks and service marks of Baxano, Inc.
