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| Redapt Revision Acetabular Fully Porous Cup--Courtesy of Smith & Nephew |
Smith & Nephew ($SNN) has launched its first 3-D titanium hip implant. It's another sign that the new manufacturing process is a much-needed source of innovation and incremental growth in the mature market for artificial hips and knees.
The company's 3-D printed Redapt Cup, for revision surgeries in which compromised bone makes implant fixation challenging, is a porous implant that emulates cancellous bone (also called spongy bone). Cancellous bone is often encased by rigid cortical (or compact) bone. Its porous surface has a complex geometry, making it a good candidate for mimicry via 3-D printing, also known as additive manufacturing.
During the ongoing meeting of the American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons in Orlando, FL, Smith & Nephew said its porous titanium technology is an alternative to external porous coatings and enables bone ingrowth, which helps secure the implant within the body.
"This fully porous cup gives surgeons flexibility in ways that simply weren't possible before," said Dr. Craig Della Valle, professor of orthopedic surgery at Rush University Medical Center in Chicago, who helped design the acetabular cup. "The locking screws, screw-in trials, purpose-built liners and screw hole patterns optimized for hard-to-access areas really set it apart during a revision procedure. This cup builds on good technology and turns it into something spectacular."
The Redapt Cup was 510(k) cleared in November, and available at select hospitals in the U.S.
Meanwhile Smith & Nephew rival Stryker ($SYK) last month said it has "huge lineup" of titanium, 3-D printed prototypes in the pipeline. The company already sells two 3-D printed knee implants, and plans to launch a 3-D printed spinal implant later this year. Also in the works is a new 3-D printing manufacturing facility.
Stryker CEO Kevin Lobo said 3-D printing titanium is more complicated than conventional use of the technology to shape plastics. The company's focus is on manufacturing new "geometries" that enable new product launches, not on replacing existing products, he added.
Judging by the launch of the Redact Cup, Smith & Nephew's approach to the emerging manufacturing methodology is similar.
Smith & Nephew is the only midsized orthopedics company left in an industry dominated by bigwigs Zimmer Biomet ($ZBH), Stryker and Johnson & Johnson's ($JNJ) DePuy.
Rumors of an impending Stryker acquisition of the smaller company refuse to die, despite persistent statements to contrary from Lobo.
Although both are developing 3-D printed titanium implants, they are moving in divergent directions when it comes to sales strategies. Lobo likes to talk up Stryker's large and specialized sales force, while Smith & Nephew is rolling out a rep-less sales model in a bid to cut costs.
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