ArthroCare (FRA:BQK) Quality Rank

ArthroCare was incorporated in California in 1993 and reincorporated in Delaware in 1995. The Company is a multi-business medical device Company that develops, manufactures and markets minimally invasive surgical products, many of which are based on its patented Coblation(r) technology. The Company has grown well beyond its roots in arthroscopy to capitalize on numerous market opportunities across several medical specialties, improving many existing soft-tissue surgical procedures and enabling new minimally invasive procedures. With its innovative technologies, the Company is improving the lives of individuals suffering from conditions as diverse as torn rotator cuffs and anterior cruciate ligaments to herniated discs and enlarged tonsils/tonsillitis. The Company currently markets minimally invasive surgical products across three core business units-ArthroCare Sports Medicine, which include shoulder and knee arthroscopic products; ArthroCare Spine, which include spinal and neurosurgery products; and ArthroCare Ear, Nose and Throat, which include ear, nose, throat and the Visage(r) cosmetic products; - but also has developed, manufactured and marketed Coblation-based and complementary products for application in neurology, cosmetic surgery, urology and gynecology, with research continuing in additional areas. In each of its core business units, the Company is focusing on driving the application of enabling technologies, primarily for plasma-based soft tissue removal, and increasing the number of minimally invasive procedures being performed. The Company is marketing and selling its arthroscopic/sports medicine, spinal surgery, ENT and cosmetic surgery products using a combination of distributors supported by regional sales mangers, a direct sales force and corporate partners to sell its products both domestically and internationally. The Company owns over 170 issued U.S. patents and over 195 issued international patents. The Company's products are considered medical devices and are subject to regulation in the United States, with the approval of FDA for each of its products. Its primary competitors include Medtronic, Inc., Smith & Nephew, Stryker Corporation, Johnson & Johnson, Olympus (through its subsidiary Gyrus) and Arthrex, Inc.