Global supplier of specialty polymers, Solvay, has announced that Okani Medical Technology, a China-based in artificial joint applications, has developed an all-polymer knee implant based on Solvay’s Zeniva polyetheretherketone (PEEK).
In comparison to traditional metallic implant systems, Okani’s novel ORGKnee implant offers a longer service life at a lower cost.
Okani selected Zeniva PEEK for its ORGKnee implant due to the material’s success in spinal implant applications.
Unlike implants made of cobalt chrome or titanium alloys, those moulded from Zeniva PEEK exhibit a modulus like cortical bone, which can improve patient comfort, provide a more stable fixation over time and extend implant lifetime due to significantly reduced wear of the total knee-joint prosthesis.
Zhonglin Zhu, Chief Technology Officer for Okani, said: “PEEK’s injection moulding capability makes large-scale production of ORGKnee implants possible in a fraction of the time and cost it takes to make metal implants, which can take up to three months to manufacture, machine and polish using methods that can pose risks both to workers and the environment.”
Jeff Hrivnak, Global Business Manager for Healthcare at Solvay’s Specialty Polymers Business Unit, explained: “Okani’s implant is not only a perfect showcase for the unique properties of Zeniva PEEK, but also for Solvay’s open innovation business model, which takes a collaborative approach to helping medical device customers foster innovation and optimise their technology.”
Before undergoing standard clinical trials by China’s Food and Drug Administration (CFDA) in September 2018, Okani’s ORGKnee implant will enter pre-clinical trials this April.
The company plans to commercially launch its ORGKnee solution in 2020 after CFDA approvals are complete.