Implant firm on hiring spree as it moves into new market.Advanced Bionics is on the move. The company is adding hundreds of new employees locally as it moves into the $500 million spinal cord spinal cord, the part of the nervous system occupying the hollow interior (vertebral canal) of the series of vertebrae that form the spinal column, technically known as the vertebral column. stimulation market. In order to support the March launch of its newest spinal cord stimulation system, the Sylmar biomedical bi·o·med·i·cal adj. 1. Of or relating to biomedicine. 2. Of, relating to, or involving biological, medical, and physical sciences. device company has hired 150 new employees in the last nine months, and plans to hire 100 more people over the next six months. Jeff Greiner, co-chief executive officer of the medical device firm, said the company is looking to fill up to 50 manufacturing positions--the remaining 50 openings will be in sales, customer service and research and development positions. Advanced Bionics is well known for its cochlear cochlear pertaining to or emanating from the cochlea. cochlear duct the coiled portion of the membranous labyrinth located inside the cochlea; contains endolymph. cochlear nerve see Table 14. ear implants, electronic devices implanted in the inner ear that can restore hearing for some people. Seven years ago, however, it began research on spinal implants that can treat chronic pain with electrical stimulation. "The development of the Spinal Cord Stimulation device was a six-year process, we received FDA FDA abbr. Food and Drug Administration FDA, n.pr See Food and Drug Administration. FDA, n.pr the abbreviation for the Food and Drug Administration. clearance in May of 2004 and we've developed the second generation device already," said Michael Onuscheck, vice president of sales and marketing for Advanced Bionics. "The first generation device had a very slow roll out starting in July, we started launching the second generation in March." Onuscheck said that many of the company's new employees are salespeople working to sell the devices to physicians nationwide. "The devices are marketed toward interventional anesthesiologists and neurosurgeons, they are essentially sold to pain management specialists who treat patients with intractable and chronic pain." He said the company is planning a nationwide patient awareness campaign to advertise the Precision SCS system in the coming weeks. Onuscheck said the expertise the company built up in designing its cochlear implants Cochlear Implants Definition A cochlear implant is a surgical treatment for hearing loss that works like an artificial human cochlea in the inner ear, helping to send sound from the ear to the brain. lent itself nicely to spinal cord stimulation technology. "Cochlear implants are the most sophisticated neural stimulators in America, and when we looked at other applications where we could stimulate neural pathway A neural pathway is a neural tract connecting one part of the nervous system with another, usually consisting of bundles of elongated, myelin insultated neurons, known collectively as white matter. systems and create therapies for patients, spinal cord stimulation was a very nice transition," said Onuscheck. Spinal cord stimulation was developed in the 1960s, and over the years the technology has evolved, growing smaller and more effective. Advanced Bionics' Precision SCS system has the world's smallest battery-operated implantable pulse generator implantable pulse generator Cardiac pacing A pacemaker used for permanent pacing, which is placed inside a pocket under the skin; the leads are positioned in or on the heart , which allows doctors to place the device in more comfortable locations on a patient. The Precision SCS system is also the world's first rechargeable re·charge tr.v. re·charged, re·charg·ing, re·charg·es To charge again, especially to reenergize a storage battery. re system, patients who have the implants require fewer battery replacement surgeries. Advanced Bionics' Precision SCS implants also have more precise targeting technology to stimulate nerves carrying pain signals. Boston Scientific The Boston Scientific Corporation (NYSE: BSX) (abbreviated BSC), is a worldwide developer, manufacturer and marketer of medical devices whose products are used in a range of interventional medical specialties, including interventional cardiology, peripheral interventions, Corporation purchased Advanced Bionics in June of 2004 for $740 million in cash. The company employs approximately 700 people. |
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