
Smith & Nephew (FTSE:SN, NYSE:SNN) said it’s launching its Polarstem cementless hip stem in the United States for total hip replacement procedures.
The Polarstem implant is designed for direct anterior approach procedures, with a profile designed to ease its insertion through the smaller anterior-approach incision, according to a press release. The Polarstem is also designed to minimize slippage down into the femur, Smith & Nephew said.
The British orthopedics giant said the Polarstem device has been available in markets overseas since 2002, but only landed U.S. clearance last October. It also features Smith & Nephew’s Verilast low-friction bearing, which combines a proprietary ceramicized metal alloy called Oxinium (oxidized zirconium) for the femoral head with a cross-linked polyethylene cup liner for the hip socket, according to the release. Smith & Nephew said the Verilast combination showed 67% less wear than cobalt chrome/XLPE hip replacement systems in the Australian Orthopaedic Assn. National Joint Replacement Registry’s annual report for 2013.
“Simply based on its excellent mid-term follow up data of 99.5% survivorship at 5.6 years and the design advantages it offers for minimally invasive and direct anterior surgeons, the Polarstem implant stands apart from other hip stems. However, when you add the wear-reducing advantages of our proprietary Verilast technology, the final construct truly becomes an optimal hip replacement option,” orthopedic reconstruction president Gaurav Agarwal said in prepared remarks.
Smith & Nephew posted profits of $162 million, or 18¢ per diluted share, on sales of $1.18 billion during the 3 months ended Dec. 31, 2013. That compared with profits of $140 million, or 16¢ per share, on sales of $1.08 billion during the same period the previous year. Adjusted for special items, per-share earnings amounted to about 23¢.