Medtronic Inc. (MDT)’s Infuse, a genetically engineered protein used to spur the growth of new bone after spinal surgery, increases the risk of infertility in men following some operations, researchers said.
While infertility was raised by U.S. regulators before approving Infuse in 2002, questions lingered, said Eugene Carragee, chief of spinal surgery at Stanford School of Medicine in Palo Alto, California. Studies funded by Minneapolis-based Medtronic didn’t mention the side effect, and the clean safety profile led doctors to embrace the therapy that can eliminate painful harvesting of bone or reduce the need for screws and plates, he said.
