Kyphon history

In 1996 Talmadge finally found someone she thought would be open to backing a revolutionary medical approach: Jack W. Lasersohn, a general partner at the Vertical Group, a Summit, New Jersey-based venture capital firm that specialized in medical technology and biotechnology.

In July 1998, the FDA approved companies to use inflatable bone tamps.

Kyphon started selling its balloon device in 1999.

In July 2001 Gary L. Grenter was named president and CEO. He was the former chief executive at Biolectron, Inc., a company involved in the spinal fusion, fracture healing, and arthroscopy market.

“Kyphon: A Trial Balloon Succeeds in Spine,” In Vivo, July 2002.

The company also launched a dozen new products in 2003 to expand its growth potential.

In 2004, roughly 50,000 patients around the world had balloon kyphoplasty Boca Raton.

Cutland, Laura, “Medical Startup Success Was a Test of Founder’s Backbone,” San Jose Business Journal, July 25, 2005.

Early in 2006 Kyphon and Doctor Harvinder Sandhu, who had licensed an expandable, mechanical bone tamp to the company, sued Medtronic Sofamor Danek, accusing it of trade secret theft, fraud, breach of contract, and other charges.

Kyphon also agreed to acquire St Francis Medical Technologies Inc., an acquisition that was completed in January 2007.