03/24/10

 

Arthrex Acquires Knee Restoration Company

NAPLES, FL., (March 24, 2010) - Arthrex Inc., the world leader in procedure-specific arthroscopy instrumentation and implants, has recently acquired iBalance Medical of Boulder, Colorado, and will begin worldwide marketing of the IBalance HTO System. The IBalance system, designed for proximal tibial opening wedge osteotomy, uses a unique implant placed within the tibia to align the osteotomy in both the coronal and sagittal plane. The IBalance implant and anchors are manufactured of polyetheretherketone (PEEK) material and may substitute the metal plates and screws traditionally used for osteotomies. This device, designed as a treatment for knee osteoarthritis, will offer patients and surgeons an alternative to total knee replacement, and because the IBalance implant is placed inside the osteotomy, will reduce the need for a second surgery to remove traditional metal plates and screws. More information about this procedure can be found under Knee Arthritis Treatment Options at www.orthoillustrated.com.

"iBalance is pleased to become part of the Arthrex family of innovative products. Our knee alignment technology has been developed as a next generation technology, received US and international regulatory clearances, and is now ready to be commercialized. Arthrex is the premier sports medicine company with worldwide distribution.  The Arthrex commitment to education and training of surgeons worldwide is unsurpassed. We will realize the maximum commercialization of our technology through Arthrex and our employees are pleased to have the opportunity to work with such an innovative company," said J. Michael Egan, CEO of iBalance and now consultant to Arthrex.

Reinhold Schmieding, Founder and President of Arthrex commented, "Arthrex is pleased to include iBalance knee preservation technology to the pipeline of exciting new products Arthrex will be introducing this year to preserve and restore knee function as an alternative to total knee replacement. iBalance management will be harmoniously integrated into the Arthrex team to build on our accelerating momentum as the largest and most successful company in the U.S. arthroscopic device market."

Arthrex, headquartered in Naples, Florida, is a worldwide leader in sports medicine product development and educational services for orthopaedic surgeons. Over 5,000 products for arthroscopic and minimally invasive orthopaedic surgical procedures have been developed by Arthrex and are currently marketed worldwide. For patients, Arthrex’s interactive web-based education site, OrthoIllustrated.com, provides information about the diagnosis and treatment of common sports medicine injuries. For more information, visit www.arthrex.com.