Healthcare Industry News:  Intramedullary 

Devices Orthopaedic

 News Release - February 12, 2007

Orthofix Announces Introduction of New Products at Upcoming AAOS Annual Meeting

HUNTERSVILLE, N.C.--(HSMN NewsFeed)--Orthofix International N.V. (NASDAQ: OFIX ) announced today that it will introduce two new internal fixation products, as well as an innovative new feature on the FUSION® OA brace offered by its BREG® subsidiary, during the company's attendance at the annual meeting of the American Academy of Orthopedic Surgeons (AAOS) set for February 13-15 in San Diego.



Orthofix enters the important Intramedullary nailing market with its new VeroNail® Trochanteric System, which offers a unique, minimally-invasive screw and nail design intended to reduce surgical trauma and allow the patient to ambulate as soon and as often as possible. With two screw configurations to address numerous fracture patterns, VeroNail utilizes a reduced nail diameter that minimizes the need for canal reaming and the possibility of soft tissue damage during entry. Additionally, a dual screw design provides the surgeon with rotational control of the femoral neck and head fragment. This is a significant feature to many orthopedic surgeons, and one that is indicative of the new generation of hip nailing systems being introduced to the marketplace. Available now in the U.S., the device is scheduled to be launched in Orthofix's international markets in July of this year.

The company's Centronail® System is a new family of nails for the treatment of long bone fractures in the extremities, including those in the humerus, femur and tibia. The surgeon-friendly instrumentation and multiple locking options are designed to provide flexibility for the surgeon and reduce time in the operating room. Centronail also incorporates a unique fatigue-resistant screw design, and utilizes a mechanical distal targeting feature to reduce X-ray exposure time. Launched internationally last year, Centronail will be available for the first time in the U.S. beginning in July of this year.

"As a well-established leader in the global external fixation market, we have the opportunity to successfully leverage that reputation as we continue to expand our offerings of world-class internal fixation devices," said Alan Milinazzo, CEO of Orthofix. "VeroNail and Centronail are important additions to our portfolio of internal fixation products, and demonstrate our continued focus on minimally-invasive devices designed to decrease not only surgical time in the operating room, but also patient discomfort and recovery time."

Additionally, Orthofix's sports medicine division, BREG, will unveil the latest enhancement to its FUSION OA line of knee braces. Designed for maximum pain relief and all-day comfort, the new FUSION OA features BREG's exclusive Thumbwheel Dial Hinge, which allows patients or clinicians to easily adjust the level of off-loading without using a tool. The new hinge features an easy-to-read scale that indicates the amount of load applied in half-millimeter increments, along with a lockout mechanism that prevents inadvertent load changes. Through its ProForm technology, and the new Thumbwheel Dial Hinge, FUSION OA provides a precise, contoured fit that keeps the brace solidly in place. This helps eliminate migration so patients get a superior, consistent fit without compromising mobility. The brace also features a low-profile contoured frame design that is exceptionally lightweight and fits discreetly under clothing.

BREG has also released a new upgraded version of e-PainCare(TM), its innovative programmable electronic infusion pump that delivers local post-operative anesthetics to the wound site. With a unique reusable control unit, the latest version adds software and hardware enhancements that provide for greater functionality and an enhanced patient interface.

About Orthofix International, N.V.

Orthofix International N.V., a global diversified orthopedic products company, offers a broad line of minimally invasive surgical, as well as non-surgical, products for the spine, orthopedic, and sports medicine market sectors that address the lifelong bone-and-joint health needs of patients of all ages, helping them achieve a more active and mobile lifestyle. Orthofix's products are widely distributed around the world to orthopedic surgeons and patients via Orthofix's sales representatives and its subsidiaries, including Breg, Inc. and Blackstone Medical, Inc., and via partnerships with other leading orthopedic product companies including Kendall Healthcare. In addition, Orthofix is collaborating in R&D partnerships with leading medical institutions such as the Orthopedic Research and Education Foundation, the Cleveland Clinic Foundation, and the National Osteoporosis Institute. For more information about Orthofix, please visit www.orthofix.com.

Forward-Looking Statements

This news release contains certain forward-looking statements under the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. These forward-looking statements may include, but are not limited to, statements concerning expectations related to new or existing products at Orthofix and its subsidiaries, and are based on management's current expectations and estimates and involve risks and uncertainties that could cause actual results or outcomes to differ materially from those contemplated by the forward-looking statements. Factors that could cause or contribute to such differences may include, but are not limited to, unanticipated expenditures, changing relationships with customers, suppliers and strategic partners, risks relating to the protection of intellectual property, changes to the reimbursement policies of third parties, changes to governmental regulation of medical devices, the impact of competitive products, changes to the competitive environment, the acceptance of new products in the market, conditions of the orthopedic industry and the economy and other factors described in the most recent report on Form 10-K and other periodic reports filed by Orthofix with the Securities and Exchange Commission.


Source: Orthofix International

Issuer of this News Release is solely responsible for its content.
Please address inquiries directly to the issuing company.



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