Mitek Sports Medicine Introduces New Interference Screw Design For Faster, Easier Insertion

CHICAGO, March 21, 2013 /PRNewswire/ -- Mitek Sports Medicine, a leading developer and manufacturer of orthopaedic sports medicine products and soft tissue repair devices, has launched the MILAGRO Advance Interference Screw, a new biocomposite screw designed to offer easier and faster insertion when compared to traditional interference screws.¹

The announcement was made at the 80^th Annual Meeting of the American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons (AAOS) where the company is also launching a new straight blade that will be used with the ENDURANCE™ Hip Solutions, a system of instruments and devices for hip arthroscopy.

The MILAGRO Advance Interference Screws represent an evolution of screw design that significantly improves ease of use compared to traditional interference screws. The unique distal tip has been shown to reduce bone engagement load by more than 80 percent,² which enables easier insertion into hard bone.³ This unique thread design reduces torque transmission to soft tissue.⁴ The screw's larger thread pitch, the distance between grooves, enables insertion in half the time compared to traditional interference screws.⁵

"I've used MILAGRO BR Screws in my practice for years. The screws provide excellent fixation and promote bony ingrowth over time. We have seen no complications in use of the screw," said Bert Mandelbaum, MD* of the Santa Monica Orthopaedic and Sports Medicine Group. "This latest generation MILAGRO Advance screw addresses the need for a biocomposite screw with better screw engagement and faster insertion."

The MILAGRO Interference Screw was first introduced in 2004, when it became the first implant made of BIOCRYL^® RAPIDE™, a biocomposite material exclusive to Mitek Sports Medicine. Since then it has been provided for over 250,000 patients and has become the top U.S. biocomposite used in shoulder and knee implants.⁶

MILAGRO Advance Interference Screws, which received its 510(k) clearance from the U.S Food and Drug Administration (FDA) in February 2012, also utilize BIOCRYL RAPIDE Biocomposite Material. As published in Arthroscopy Journal, May 2011, this biocomposite material has been shown to absorb and to allow for ossification of the implant site in as little as three years after ACL repair.⁷

Also at AAOS, Mitek Sports Medicine is showcasing a new strong straight blade with a rounded sharp tip that is as sharp or sharper than competitive blades currently on the market.⁸ The straight blade is the latest addition to ENDURANCE Hip Solutions for hip arthroscopy. Other products in the company's hip arthroscopy procedural offering include a hip access kit and cannulas for access, GRYPHON^® BR and PEEK Suture Anchors for fixation as well as VAPR^® Radiofrequency Electrode System devices for tissue ablation and FMS fluid management.

"We continue to expand upon our successful technology platforms and bring design innovation to sports medicine with the goal of improving patient care and the overall surgical experience so that patients can get back to the activities that they enjoy most," said Ian Lawson, Worldwide President, Mitek Sports Medicine.

DePuy Synthes Mitek Sports Medicine Division is a division of DePuy Orthopaedics, Inc.

* Consultant to Mitek Sports Medicine

About Mitek Sports Medicine

At Mitek Sports Medicine, we are passionate about getting patients back to their passion. As a global leader in orthopaedic sports medicine, we develop minimally invasive devices and non surgical products used in the treatment of joint injuries related to sports and physical activity, as well as degenerative tissue conditions. DePuy Synthes Mitek Sports Medicine Division is part of the DePuy Synthes Companies of Johnson & Johnson, the largest provider of orthopaedic and neurological solutions in the world. For more information visit, www.depuysynthes.com.

¹ Data on file, Mitek Sports Medicine, 1/2013
² Data on file comparing 7 x 23mm Arthrex Biocomposite Screw vs. 7 x 23 mm Milagro Advance, Mitek Sports Medicine
³ Data on file, Mitek Sports Medicine
⁴ Data on file, Mitek Sports Medicine
⁵ Data on file, Mitek Sports Medicine
⁶ Data on file, Mitek Sports Medicine
⁷ Barber et al. Long-Term Degradation of a Poly-Lactide Co-Glycolide/ß-Tricalcium PhosphateBiocomposite Interference Screw, Arthroscopy Journal: The Journal of Arthroscopic and Related Surgery, Vol.17, No. 5, 2011, pp. 637-643.
⁸ Data on file, Mitek Sports Medicine

CA #11319B

SOURCE Mitek Sports Medicine