Zeniva PEEK enables breakthrough intervertebral joint fusion technology, claims Solvay

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Backed by research from Duke University and the Georgia Institute of Technology, Vertera Spine’s PEEK Scoria represents a significant leap forward in how surface treatments are applied to intervertebral joint fusion devices, according to Solvay. Rather than coating the fusion device, this surface treatment is grown directly from the bulk PEEK material of Vertera Spine’s COHERE system. Solvay’s Zeniva PEEK is made up of both the porous surface technology and the device on which it is grown.

Vertera Spine has chosen Solvay Speciality Polymers’ Zeniva polyetheretherketone (PEEK) polymer to develop PEEK Scoria. This porous surface technology enables stable intervertebral joint fusion at a cost-effective level, according to Solvay, and is designed to facilitate integration of bone tissue with the company’s Cohere Cervical Interbody Fusion Device.

Solvay claims that by growing PEEK Scoria directly onto the device, Vertera Spine has eliminated the need for additive materials, which significantly lowered the manufacturing costs of its device vs. metal-coated implants. This makes its Cohere solution competitive with current PEEK device offerings and more cost effective than titanium-coated fusion devices.

“Neither the porosity of PEEK Scoria nor its growth onto bulk polymer is something you can achieve easily with metal solutions or even with many competitive resins,” says Maria Gallahue-Worl, global business development manager for Healthcare at Solvay Specialty Polymers.

The porous features of the PEEK Scoria surface technology are engineered to facilitate bone tissue in-growth. The surface material features 300µm average pore size, layer thicknesses greater than 500µm, over 99% interconnectivity and a wettable surface. Pre-clinical testing indicates that bone can infiltrate within these pores and form direct contact with the PEEK Scoria surface, which improves how PEEK devices interact with bone, according to Solvay.

In addition, Solvay claims that because Vertera Spine’s Cohere device and PEEK Scoria surface treatment are uniformly comprised of Solvay’s Zeniva PEEK, the technology will not generate visual artifacts when medical imaging is applied.