New spacer from Artimplant receives CE-mark

The biomaterials company Artimplant, has received CE mark for its Artelon® DRU Spacer. The spacer is intended for treatment of osteoarthritis in the distal radioulnar (DRU) joint of the wrist. This is one of four products under the recent development and license agreements with Small Bone innovations, LLC (SBI).

Osteoarthritis in the distal radioulnar joint of the wrist Fractures in the wrist region often results in complications. One of them could be osteoarthritis (OA) in the joint surface between distal radius and ulna. OA of the DRU joint often leads to ulnar wrist pain, limitation of forearm rotation and reduced grip strength, all of which limit activities of daily living. With Artelon® DRU Spacer the forearm will function in a natural way. The field of application for Artelon® DRU Spacer is relatively limited and today the number of surgeries is estimated to about 3 000 annually on a global basis. Artelon® - a unique biomaterial Artelon® DRU Spacer is made of Artelon®, a unique long-term degradable biomaterial that acts as a temporary scaffold to facilitate formation of new host tissue. Due to its versatility and unique combination of properties - long-term degradation, mechanical properties similar to human tendons and excellent biocompatibility in hard and soft tissue – Artelon® offers new solutions to unmet clinical needs in several therapy areas.