Small Bone Innovations, Inc. Expands Artelon Basal Thumb Arthritis Implant Line With Artelon CMC Spacer LG

New York - Small Bone Innovations, Inc. (SBi), a single-source provider of products, technology and education for the small bone and joint sector of the orthopedic industry, has added the Artelon CMC Spacer LG to its line of thumb-base osteoarthritis (OA) treatments.

The Artelon CMC Spacer LG is of similar design to the Artelon Spacer CMC-I used primarily to treat basal thumb OA in women, who make up about 75% of patients for this implant. The new spacer is essentially an implant for bigger thumb joints. It is a T-shaped woven construction of biodegradable Artelon fibers that acts as a scaffold to preserve the joint and promote bony ingrowth to support restoration of joint function without harvesting tissue.

The vertical portion of the Artelon CMC Spacer LG interposes the arthritic joint between the trapezium and the first metacarpal. At 2.0-cm, it is twice the length of the CMC-I. The horizontal ‘wings' of the Spacer, fixed to the trapezium and metacarpal, stabilize the joint and prevent subluxation. The wings are 1.5 cm in length and 1.5 cm in width, compared to the 1.0 cm by 1.0 cm wings of the CMC-I.

Cleared by the FDA in September 2004, the Artelon Spacer CMC-I has so far been adopted by more than 200 surgeons to treat early-stage basal thumb OA. The CMC-I design was originally targeted at female patients in Scandinavia but research within the US during the past 12 months has revealed a significant need for the larger implant to treat male patients.

The Artelon CMC Spacer LG is the first new product launched under SBi's November, 2005 global licensing agreement with Artimplant AB, the Swedish developer of the Artelon platform. The agreement is focused on a variety of small joint applications.

Anthony G. Viscogliosi, Chairman & CEO of SBi, said, "Small Bone Innovations is fully committed to the largest, most advanced product portfolio for upper and lower limbs. The success that this type of tissue sparing, function restoring, and motion preserving implant is having on its patients is further focusing surgeon attention on the small bone and joint sector of the orthopedic market. The Artelon CMC Spacer LG will quickly enhance SBi's mission to provide new and innovative solutions to orthopedic surgeons and their patients."

Michael Simpson, President & COO of SBi, commented, "This ground-breaking technology offers an appealing, intermediate choice between drug therapy and joint fusion surgery when the efficacy of long term pain medication regimes is under challenge. The Artelon CMC Spacer has quickly become a thoroughbred in the stable of SBi products, and this new, larger version will only help more surgeons and their patients find relief."

Alejandro Badia, MD, of the Miami Center for Joint Reconstruction, added, "The use of tissue-sparing technology holds immense promise in treating basal thumb osteoarthritis. While active women traditionally made up the population of patients that were afflicted and diagnosed, men with symptoms of osteoarthritis are becoming increasingly prevalent. They now have a viable option for relief from pain and restoration of motion."

SOURCE: Small Bone Innovations, Inc.