Clinical Benefits of Zimmer's DeNovo® NT Natural Tissue Graft in First Surgery Documented in Peer-Reviewed Publication

SAN DIEGO, Feb. 18, 2011 /PRNewswire/ -- Zimmer Holdings, Inc. (NYSE: ZMH; SIX: ZMH), a global leader in musculoskeletal care, today announced that results from a peer-reviewed publication demonstrated positive outcomes from the first surgery performed using the DeNovo® NT Graft for the repair of cartilage lesions.  The report includes both two-year patient outcome measures and 21-month follow-up MRI data.  Zimmer will showcase the innovative DeNovo NT Graft at the 2011 American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons (AAOS) annual meeting in San Diego, CA.

Published in The Journal of Knee Surgery, the case report described clinical success with Zimmer's DeNovo NT Graft after two years of implantation when used to treat a symptomatic cartilage lesion in the patella.  The case study reports that the implantation of DeNovo NT Graft resulted in substantial clinical improvement in both pain and function through two years as demonstrated by improvements in the IKDC Subjective and all domains of the Knee Injury and Osteoarthritis Outcomes Scores.  MRI data demonstrated that the treated defect was filled with repair tissue which resulted in a near complete resolution of pre-operative subchondral bone edema.

"This first peer-reviewed publication represents a significant milestone for DeNovo NT Graft," said Cheryl R. Blanchard, Ph.D., Zimmer Senior Vice President and Chief Scientific Officer.  "The promising results included in this case report demonstrate how DeNovo NT Graft technology can be used to repair cartilage defects, offering patients and clinicians a new generation of biological cartilage treatment options."

The patient, a 36-year-old male who received the DeNovo NT Graft in May 2007, reported that his pre-operative pain was improved after just seven weeks and that by seven months his range of motion extended up to 140 degrees.  The report's authors state that potential benefits of this new technique can include: single-stage procedure; simplicity in the surgical technique; implantation of juvenile cartilage tissue, which some evidence shows has higher cell density and better repair ability than adult articular cartilage; no donor site morbidity; and no need for use of a periosteal flap, when compared to a more traditional autologous chondrocyte implantation procedure.

DeNovo NT Graft is a juvenile cartilage allograft tissue implant, which provides an early-intervention option for the repair of articular cartilage.  It consists of particulated articular cartilage with actual living cells.  The DeNovo NT Graft offers a single-stage procedure to treat articular cartilage defects in a wide range of anatomical applications including those for the knee, ankle, hip, shoulder or elbow.

DeNovo NT Graft was developed in conjunction with ISTO Technologies, Inc. as part of the companies' strategic partnership. For more information about DeNovo NT Natural Tissue Graft, visit the Zimmer exhibit at the 2011 AAOS annual meeting or go to www.zimmer.com.

About the Company

Founded in 1927 and headquartered in Warsaw, Indiana, Zimmer designs, develops, manufactures and markets orthopaedic reconstructive, spinal and trauma devices, dental implants, and related surgical products.  Zimmer has operations in more than 25 countries around the world and sells products in more than 100 countries.  Zimmer's 2010 sales were approximately $4.2 billion.  The Company is supported by the efforts of more than 8,000 employees worldwide.

Zimmer Safe Harbor Statement

This press release contains forward-looking statements within the safe harbor provisions of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995 based on current expectations, estimates, forecasts and projections about the orthopaedics industry, management's beliefs and assumptions made by management.  Forward-looking statements may be identified by the use of forward-looking terms such as "may," "will," "expects," "believes," "anticipates," "plans," "estimates," "projects," "assumes," "guides," "targets," "forecasts," and "seeks" or the negative of such terms or other variations on such terms or comparable terminology.  These statements are not guarantees of future performance and involve risks, uncertainties and assumptions that could cause actual outcomes and results to differ materially.  For a list and description of such risks and uncertainties, see our periodic reports filed with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission.  We disclaim any intention or obligation to update or revise any forward-looking statements, whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise, except as may be set forth in our periodic reports.  Readers of this document are cautioned not to place undue reliance on these forward-looking statements, since, while we believe the assumptions on which the forward-looking statements are based are reasonable, there can be no assurance that these forward-looking statements will prove to be accurate.  This cautionary statement is applicable to all forward-looking statements contained in this document.

SOURCE Zimmer Holdings, Inc.