Healthcare Industry News: Wright Medical Group
News Release - March 15, 2007
Wright Medical Group, Inc. Introduces New Stature-Specific Knee Replacement
ADVANCE(R) Knee System Provides More Customized Sizing for Knee Replacement PatientsARLINGTON, Tenn.--(HSMN NewsFeed)--Wright Medical Group, Inc. (NASDAQ: WMGI ) is pleased to announce the launch of its ADVANCE STATURE(TM) Femoral Components. The latest addition to Wright's ADVANCE® Knee System, the new ADVANCE STATURE(TM) components feature a tapered design to address the implant sizing needs of patients with a more narrow knee anatomy or smaller skeletal frame.
While "gender-differentiated" knee implant design is being explained as a current trend in the orthopaedic industry, studies examining factors other than gender have demonstrated that patient size (stature or height), not gender, is a more appropriate determinant of implant needs. Although women are generally smaller than men and may more often require smaller knee implants, patients of either gender may possess a physical stature that would often benefit from a narrower implant design. For this reason, the ADVANCE STATURE(TM) femoral components provide distinct sizing advantages for males or females who require more customized sizing.
The ADVANCE STATURE(TM) components feature a reduced width and contoured anterior flange for optimized patellar tracking. The components are compatible with the ADVANCE® Double-High and Medial-Pivot tibial inserts. Wright's ADVANCE® tibial inserts are markedly different from most designs on the market due to more natural motion provided by a ball-in-socket mechanism that replicates the stability and freedom to move like the natural knee. This ball-in-socket feature provides critical implant stability to give patients exceptional confidence in the performance of their "new knee".
Commenting on Wright's new stature-specific femoral components, Kent M. Samuelson, M.D. of The Orthopedic Specialty Hospital in Salt Lake City, Utah said, "In my practice I see people of all shapes and sizes needing knee replacement. A gender-specific replacement approach does not take into consideration the impact of the patient's size (height and weight). With the availability of the ADVANCE STATURE(TM) knee in my practice, I am better able to treat male and female patients who have a narrow femur, offering them the best possible fit for their new knee."
"The addition of our new ADVANCE STATURE(TM) femoral components supports Wright's goal for the entire line of ADVANCE® knee solutions, which is to provide surgeons with tools that help restore the most natural knee function possible for their patients," explained Cary Hagan, vice president of Wright's Ortho-Recon Division.
About Wright
Wright Medical Group, Inc. is a global orthopaedic device company specializing in the design, manufacture and marketing of reconstructive joint devices and biologics. The Company has been in business for over 50 years and markets its products in over 60 countries worldwide. For more information about Wright Medical, visit our website at www.wmt.com.
Safe-Harbor Statement
This press release contains "forward-looking statements" within the meaning of Section 27A of the Securities Act of 1933, as amended, and Section 21E of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended. All statements made in this press release, other than statements of historical fact, are forward-looking statements. Forward-looking statements reflect management's current knowledge, assumptions, beliefs, estimates, and expectations and express management's current views of future performance, results, and trends. The Company wishes to caution readers that actual results might differ materially from those described in the forward-looking statements. Forward-looking statements are subject to a number of risks and uncertainties, including the factors discussed in the Company's filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission (including the Company's annual report on Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2006 under the heading, "Risk Factors" and its quarterly reports), which could cause the Company's actual results to materially differ from those described in the forward-looking statements. Although the Company believes that the forward-looking statements are accurate, there can be no assurance that any forward-looking statement will prove to be accurate. A forward-looking statement should not be regarded as a representation by the Company that the results described therein will be achieved. The Company wishes to caution readers not to place undue reliance on any forward-looking statement. The forward-looking statements are made as of the date of this press release. The Company assumes no obligation to update any forward-looking statement after this date.
Source: Wright Medical
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