Emerging Implant Technologies Receives FDA Multilevel Approval for 3D Printed Cervical Cage

Emerging Implant Technologies GmbH (EIT), a German medical device manufacturer exclusively focused on creating 3D printed titanium implants for spinal applications, has received U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) clearance of an expanded label of its EIT Cellular Titanium Cervical Cage to be used in multiple contiguous cervical levels (C2 to T1).
 
EIT Cellular Titanium is a 3D printed porous titanium structure that has been designed according to scientific insights on ideal pore shape and size to optimize cell proliferation and bone ingrowth. The anatomical design of the EIT cervical cage assists the surgical and biomechanical challenges of cervical multi-level fusion by adapted to maximized vertebral endplate contact and sagittal balance restoration.
 
The fusion potential of the implants is supported by EIT’s proprietary 3D process including post-printing etching procedures, allowing for unique porous structures that are impossible to manufacture with traditional manufacturing techniques. “This is another important regulatory milestone for EIT,” said Guntmar Eisen, founder and CEO of EIT. “Only very few cervical cages are approved for multilevel use and we are poised to quickly enter the U.S. market with the most advanced technology and state-of-the-art FDA labeling and compliance.”
 
This marks the first multi-level 3D printed cervical cage to enter the U.S. market. The EIT cervical cage is to be used with supplemental fixation and designed for use with autogenous and/or allogenic bone graft to facilitate fusion. Musculoskeletal Clinical Regulatory Advisers LLC (MCRA) assisted EIT on the FDA strategy and submission. Justin Eggleton, senior director of Regulatory Affairs, saidd, “This clearance represents continued synergy between FDA and the medical community. The expanded indications to multiple levels in the cervical spine facilitates improved surgeon collaboration and the ability to collect data that will strengthen the total product lifecycle, which ultimately benefits patients.”
 
The company plans to complete the current product portfolio with a lateral lumbar cage in Q2 and a fully printed lateral expanding cage in Q4.
 
EIT exclusively focuses on spinal implants designed according to the latest science on optimal bone ingrowth in porous titanium scaffolds and produced with additive manufacturing methods. EIT was founded in 2014. Implants and instruments are made in Germany.
 
The EIT implants are made of EIT Cellular Titanium that addresses the clinical shortcomings of the current cage designs and materials (non-fusion, biocompatibility, subsidence, migration and imaging distortion), thereby obtaining very promising fusion results and improved clinical outcome due to the qualities of the porous 3-D printing of titanium. The highly porous titanium scaffold ensures extensive bone ingrowth as a result of its specific design and elasticity close to the cancellous bone. Due to its unique design with a porosity of 80 percent, the EIT implants ensure uncompromised imaging on X-Ray and magnetic resonance imaging and enabling excellent follow up on defining bone ingrowth and fusion with computed tomography.
 
A complete portfolio of Smart Spinal Implants based on EIT Cellular Titanium is available for the cervical and lumbar spine, with an extensive choice in footprint sizes, heights and lordosis angles to support the recreation of sagittal balance and alignment. Since 2014, more than 15,000 EIT cases have been performed in over 15 markets globally. EIT started launching its products in the United States in the last quarter of 2017.