LDR Médical, History:

Treatment of spinal pathologies has evolved continuously over the past 20 years and these changes are a permanent challenge for the designers of spinal devices which adapt to these new approaches.

Creating new systems compatible with new surgical techniques is a wonderful adventure that we share with selected groups of surgeons, but what is also very challenging is the design of improved systems for standard procedures.

The founders of LDR Médical – Christophe Lavigne, Herve Dinville and Patrick Richard – have a long, successful history in the musculoskeletal industry. With a focus on developing medical devices and instrumentation for the surgical treatment of spinal conditions caused by congenital defects, injury and trauma, their combined experience spans research and development, regulatory approval, marketing, sales and distribution. Their prolific achievement in creating innovative spine products lies with their innate passion and their ability to meet the needs of the most skilled orthopedic surgeons.

Lavigne, Dinville and Richard first worked together at JBS, a French spine company founded in the late 1980s. JBS went on to create a groundbreaking artificial disc family now known as ProDisc™ along with other innovative spinal implants. During this time, Jean Blanchet joined JBS and was responsible for international sales.

He helped to direct explosive global expansion that was heralded throughout the industry. JBS was acquired by Aesculap and the combined entity continued to enjoy growth and reputation within the surgeon community for their well-designed spine systems.

Spinal Solutions acquired the artificial disc technology from Aesculap in 2001 and began the process of shepherding the ProDisc family of products through Regulatory approvals. In 2002, Spinal Solutions was acquired by Synthes-Stratec for over $350 million dollars based upon the strong market potential of its artificial disc technology platform.

Lavigne, Dinville and Richard celebrated their part in this success, and then turned their attention to developing second-generation spine products. In 2000, they founded LDR Médical in Troyes, France to meet the underserved and unmet needs in both the fusion and non-fusion spine product areas. Shortly after forming this new spine company, they were joined by their colleague, Jean Blanchet to once again assist in repeating international growth to complement their initial success in France

After the first two years dedicated to R&D of our first products, the initial launch took place in the French market in 2002. After less than two years in this highly competitive market, LDR Medical was able to capture approximately a 20% share of the degenerative spine segment. This triggered our opening to the International markets, which was initiated early 2004.Our representation worldwide covers, as of today, 16 countries in all 5 continents, including LDR Spine U.S.A., a distribution company based out of Austin, Texas, that was established in December 2004 to serve the U.S. market.

LDR Médical
Technopôle de l'Aube - BP 2
10902 TROYES Cedex 9
FRANCE
Tél. : +33 (0)3 25 82 32 63
Fax : +33 (0)3 25 82 33 71