HAPPE Spine has announced the addition of two more issued patents in a growing portfolio of next generation orthopaedic and spinal implants enabled by the HAPPE platform. The HAPPE material platform offers interconnected, cancellous porosity and bioactive surfaces with exposed hydroxyapatite to enable robust bone in-growth and on-growth confirmed in preclinical testing, say the company.
Ryan Roeder, founder and CTO of HAPPE Spine, said: “We are pleased the United States Patent and Trademark Office has granted utility patents for our implant design and manufacturing process that build upon previously issued and pending utility patents for our material composition. Together, these patents establish a strong intellectual property position for HAPPE in the emerging market for porous hydroxyapatite (HA) PEEK devices.”
US patent number 11,179,243 protects implantable devices such as interbody spinal fusion cages that are constructed with (1) a thermoplastic polymer such as polyetheretherketone, (2) at least one region with interconnected porosity, and (3) bioactive particles such as hydroxyapatite integrated in the polymer and exposed on pore surfaces to encourage bone ingrowth.
US patent number 11,426,904 protects a process for forming implants from thermoplastic polymers with regions of differing porosity. Unlike additive manufacturing of PEEK implants, the process enables moulding of monolithic implants from powder-based raw materials such that there are no seams, joints or bonds in the implant, but rather a continuous polymer matrix between regions of relatively porous and dense material.
