Healthcare Industry News:  Fixation System 

Devices Orthopaedic

 News Release - September 25, 2007

Small Bone Innovations Introduces New Distal Radius Plating System to Repair Complex Fractures

NEW YORK, Sept. 25 (HSMN NewsFeed) -- Small Bone Innovations, Inc. (SBi), a single-source provider of products, technology and education for the small bone and joint sector, has introduced its PRECISE SD(TM) Volar Distal Radius Locking Plate system to augment its Wrist Management portfolio.


The PRECISE SD plate geometry is based on computer analysis of CT data generated from a broad series of distal radii in the Hamann Todd Osteological Collection at the Cleveland Museum of Natural History. The result is an anatomic locking plate that provides optimized fit and improved articular support over a broad range of anatomic variations. The plate's poly axial locking screw technology is a patented, low profile design with a proven clinical track record.

Anthony G. Viscogliosi, Chairman & CEO of SBi, said: "Fracture of the distal radius is the most pervasive injury requiring treatment by hand surgeons, with more than 600,000 instances annually in the US."

"In the course of developing a wrist treatment algorithm, surgeons told us they needed a Fixation System able to achieve a lower profile and more precise fit where the degree of bone fragmentation is unusually complex such as in the estimated 250,000 older patients with symptoms of osteoporosis who annually fall and suffer a fractured wrist," he added.

The PRECISE SD's low profile, polyaxial design offers up to +/- 15 degrees of variable angle opportunity in locking or non-locking configurations while a Type II surface coating on plates and screws increases strength, reduces the risk of cold welding between the plate and screws, and reduces tissue adhesion.

Jesse B. Jupiter, MD, Orthopaedic Hand Service, Massachusetts General Hospital, Boston, MA noted that: "Technological advances in three-dimensional imaging present a more precise picture of wrist fractures and that has led inevitably to demand for screw and plating systems capable of providing a correspondingly precise fit -- as is the case with the PRECISE SD design."

The advanced locking technology found in the PRECISE SD Plate allows a surgeon to insert polyaxial locking or non-locking screws and pegs at variable angles to the plate to address the location and geometry of a fracture or osteotomy.

"Because the screws and pegs are slightly harder than the plates, the thread in the locking screw reshapes the softer titanium of the PRECISE SD plate, creating a secure construct between the head of the screw and the plate," Dr. Jupiter added.

The introduction of the PRECISE SD system extends SBi's wrist management portfolio following its successful rollout of the RE-MOTION(TM) Total Wrist Implant and STABILITY Sigmoid Notch Total DRUJ System(TM) -- incorporating Precise Guidance Technology(TM) that allow surgeons to perform wrist arthroplasty and reconstruction procedures with consistent and predictable outcomes.

The STABILITY System is currently the only total distal radial-ulnar joint (DRUJ) replacement commercially available in the U.S. It replaces the sigmoid notch and ulna head in a conservative, bone-sparing procedure that restores the natural biomechanics of the wrist.

"The availability of these completely modular systems enables surgeons to manage the varying degrees of severity in the estimated 3.9 million wrist injuries each year. Also, the affects on small bones and joints of degenerative diseases such as osteoarthritis and osteoporosis may be treated at every stage of progress with the possibility of restoring near natural motion and function without undue sacrifice of tissue or frequent revisions," Mr. Viscogliosi noted.

According to a University of California, San Diego Medical Center study, one in twelve women will suffer a wrist fracture in their lifetime. Also, in the same study, the wrist is the body part most frequently broken among patients under the age of 65.

About Small Bone Innovations, Inc.

Small Bone Innovations, Inc. (SBi) was founded in 2004 by Viscogliosi Bros., LLC, (VB), the New York-based merchant banking firm that specializes in the musculoskeletal/orthopedic sector. VB created SBi as the first company to focus purely on small bone & joint science. By integrating established companies and professionals in the field, SBi can offer a broad, clinically proven portfolio of products and technologies to treat trauma and diseases in small bones & joints. Today, SBi has more than 130 employees at facilities in New York, NY, Morrisville, PA and Bourg-en-Bresse, France.

SBi closed on the sale of $42.2 million of its securities in December 2005. At the time, based on data provided by Venture Source, this was the largest venture capital investment ever recorded in the field of orthopedic devices.

SBi was a 2006 recipient of Red Herring magazine's annual "Red Herring 100 North America" award, recognizing SBi as one of the nation's leading technology companies and the only orthopedic device company selected among an initial entry of more than one thousand firms.

Additionally, SBi's ArtelonĀ® CMC-I Spacer, developed for patients with osteoarthritis at the base of the thumb, was featured on the cover and highlighted within Medical Design Technology magazine's "Year of Innovation" issue as one of the most fascinating technologies influencing the medical device industry.

Medical Device & Diagnostic Industry magazine named SBi to its list of "50 Companies to Watch" in 2006, noting, "Small Bone Innovations is going against the grain in its determination to become a market leader in the small bone & joint device sector."

For more information on SBi, please visit: www.totalsmallbone.com.

About Viscogliosi Bros., LLC

Established by Marc R. Viscogliosi, John J. Viscogliosi and Anthony G. Viscogliosi in New York City in 1999, Viscogliosi Bros., LLC (VB) was the first venture capital/private equity and merchant banking firm dedicated to the musculoskeletal/orthopedics sector of the health care industry.

Today, VB is a leading independent firm with a mission to create, build and finance companies founded on innovations developed by surgeons and uniquely focused on "life changing" musculoskeletal/orthopedic technologies. VB has worldwide surgeon, industry and trade relationships, and significant financial expertise in the musculoskeletal/orthopedic sector.

As principals of VB, the Viscogliosi brothers have a combined total of nearly half a century of experience analyzing and investing in the musculoskeletal/orthopedics sector, directing literally billions of dollars through the orthopedics industry. They have pioneered innovative financial, strategic and management initiatives for nearly 150 companies in the sector, from start-up, seed and development stage all the way to exit, while helping people lead better lives through the orthopedic and spinal products marketed and sold by the companies they have assisted in developing and financing.

For more information about VB, please visit: www.vbllc.com

Forward-looking statements:

This press release contains forward-looking statements as defined in the U.S. Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. Readers are cautioned not to place undue reliance on these forward-looking statements. Actual results may differ materially from those indicated by these forward-looking statements as a result of risks and uncertainties impacting SBi's business including increased competition; the ability of SBi to expand its operations and to attract and retain qualified professionals; technological obsolescence; general economic conditions; and other risks.


Source: Small Bone Innovations

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



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