At the CrossRoads: J&J's DePuy Synthes acquires foot and ankle implant system maker

When met with a crossroads—that is, Memphis, Tennessee-based CrossRoads Extremity Systems—DePuy Synthes, the orthopedics and neurosurgery division of Johnson & Johnson, opted for a familiar path.

DePuy acquired the foot and ankle surgical devicemaker for an undisclosed amount, the company announced Thursday. The deal saw CrossRoads trade hands from its majority investor, private equity firm HealthpointCapital, to the J&J franchise.

Under the DePuy umbrella, CrossRoads’ surgical tools will join a broad portfolio of devices targeting joint reconstruction and replacement, sports medicine injuries, spinal surgery and more. The acquisition is already complete, allowing J&J to begin offering the new additions alongside its existing slate to customers in the U.S.

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CrossRoads’ more than two dozen devices focus on tools for foot and ankle surgeries; its flagship products comprising implant systems to treat bunion deformities of all severity levels.

The miniBunion system, for example, is designed to be a minimally invasive alternative to other traditional metatarsal bone osteotomy techniques, while the dynaBunion 4D system acts as an extra pair of hands for surgeons during Lapidus bunionectomies.

According to DePuy, the acquisition will help it meet a growing demand for elective surgeries to treat foot conditions like hammertoes and bunions, the latter of which affects approximately 1 in 4 people in the U.S. alone.

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The CrossRoads buy comes only about a month after DePuy’s last acquisition. In that deal, announced at the beginning of December, the J&J devicemaker—acting through its Synthes GmbH affiliate—scooped up OrthoSpin.

The Israeli-based company has developed an automated strut system that’s already used with DePuy’s Maxframe circular ring fixation system, which is used to stabilize a leg, foot or arm after an orthopedic procedure. Before acquiring the company, J&J had served as the lead investor in OrthoSpin’s series A and B funding rounds in 2018 and 2020, respectively.