Amedica has agreed a partnership with Shandong Weigao Orthopedic Device Company, a subsidiary of Shandong Weigao Group Medical Polymer Company, a medical device company in China specialising in the research and development and the production and sale of spinal, trauma and joint orthopaedic implants.
Under the distribution agreement, Weigao Orthopedic will have exclusive rights for the sale, marketing and distribution of Amedica-branded silicon nitride spinal implants in China, and will abide by minimum annual purchase requirements in year one of 20,000 units, growing annually to 50,000 units in year six, following regulatory clearance by the China Food and Drug Administration (CFDA). Weigao Orthopedic work towards acquiring CFDA clearance of the company’s medical devices, in order to accelerate Chinese clearance of Amedica’s products.
“This agreement far surpasses total silicon nitride unit sales to-date,” says Sonny Bal, chairman and chief executive officer of Amedica. “This partnership…allows us to significantly increase our global sales footprint with a large-scale distribution partner…familiar with the Chinese regulatory landscape.”
Gong Jianbo, chief executive officer and executive director of Weigao Orthopedic, says “We expect the combination of this…biomaterial with our well-established network to quickly gain significant market share. We also look forward to expanding our partnership beyond spine products and into hip and knee applications.”
