Episurf Medical in the final stages of development of an ankle implant
With three Episealer® knee implant products currently approved and on the market in Europe, Episurf Medical (NASDAQ: EPIS B) has initiated the development of a new line of personalised Episealer® implant products intended for osteochondral lesions of the talus bone in the ankle joint. Such lesions are a common and growing problem, along with few alternative treatment methods. Episurf Medical is now responding to a significant demand voiced by its network of surgeon partners. The ambition is to perform the first surgeries during Q2 2018.
The new ankle implant and associated surgical instruments are based on the same technology platform as the company’s Episealer® knee devices, with a patient-specific design based on medical imaging and 3D modelling.
Episurf Medical has previously delivered one custom-made implant solution for a patient in Germany with an ankle joint lesion. The ankle implant was custom-made to the surgeon’s specifications in a difficult case where a custom-made patient-specific implant was the only available solution. The surgeon saw no other reasonable treatment alternative, as there is no such implant on the market today. The surgery was performed in 2016. The surgery was successful and the patient reported excellent results at the 12 months’ clinical follow-up visit.
“An osteochondral ankle defect is a lesion of the talar cartilage and subchondral bone, which commonly causes deep and intractable ankle pain. These lesions are generally caused by a single or multiple traumatic events, often sport injuries. We are convinced that Episurf’s knee technology should adapt well to the ankle, and the 12-months’ data from Germany is very encouraging. The technical synergies, along with the lack of adequate techniques for treatment of this kind of ankle lesions, as well as careful market analysis, led us to the decision to pursue this new initiative. We look forward to providing the same kind of benefits to patients with ankle injuries as we today do to those with lesions in the knee,” comments Prof. Leif Ryd, Senior Medical Advisor to Episurf Medical.
“Adding additional products to our platform is an important part of our long-term strategy and the ankle implant brings a significant long-term revenue potential to Episurf Medical,” comments Pål Ryfors, CEO of Episurf Medical.
For more information, please contact:
Pål Ryfors, CEO, Episurf Medical
Tel:+46 (0) 709 62 36 69
Email: pal.ryfors@episurf.com
About Episurf Medical
Episurf Medical is endeavoring to bring people with painful joint injuries a more active, healthier life through the availability of minimally invasive and personalized treatment alternatives. Episurf Medical’s Episealer® personalized implants and Epiguide® surgical drill guides are developed for treating localized cartilage injury in joints. Episurf Medical’s μiFidelity® system enables implants to be cost-efficiently tailored to each individual’s unique injury for the optimal fit and minimal intervention. Episurf Medical’s head office is in Stockholm, Sweden. Its share (EPIS B) is listed on Nasdaq Stockholm. For more information, go to the company’s website: www.episurf.com.
This information is information that Episurf Medical AB is obliged to make public pursuant to the EU Market Abuse Regulation. The information was submitted for publication, through the agency of the contact person set out above, at 08.55 CET on 14 February 2018.
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