SI-BONE Awarded Significant "Across Bones" Patent Allowance

SI-BONE, Inc. (San Jose, California), a medical device company that is pioneering the use of a minimally invasive surgical (MIS) device to treat the sacroiliac (SI) joint announced today that it has received a Notice of Allowance from the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO) for broad method claims related to the iFuse Implant System. SI-BONE currently markets the iFuse in the United States and European Union under the iFuse name.

Of considerable significance for SI-BONE, was the breadth of the method claims. These claims include placing an elongated device across a joint from one bone to another, using a guide wire to place the implant, using a device that is rectilinear in cross-section, and a device having an exterior surface to provide bony in-growth. "Because the market for minimally invasive surgical treatment of the SI joint is potentially so significant, this allowance provides SI-BONE with a strong competitive barrier. Additionally, the Company has three dependent claims that further claim square, rectangular, and triangular cross-sections," according to Scott Yerby, Ph.D., Chief Technology Officer, SI-BONE.