WARSAW, Ind., Aug 08, 2002 /PRNewsire-FirstCall via Comtex/ -- Zimmer Holdings, Inc. (NYSE: ZMH), recently achieved a special sales milestone when it became the first company to report having its one millionth knee replacement implanted in the United States. Zimmer passed the landmark during the last week of July.
"We believe this milestone reflects the leadership role Zimmer has traditionally played in the development and increased application of knee replacement surgery in the United States," said Zimmer Chairman, President and Chief Executive Officer Ray Elliott. "The knee is now the most frequently replaced joint in orthopaedic surgery. Zimmer knee sales in recent years have been particularly outstanding. It required 20 years for Zimmer to sell its first half million knees since we first commercially introduced our knee replacement products in 1975. We sold the second half million knees in just the past seven years. Such growth is built upon the strength and strong tradition of our knee product portfolio, and our ability to supply our surgeon customers with confidence in the products and services they need to provide the best orthopaedic care."
This year an estimated 375,000 partial or total knee replacement procedures will be performed in the United States. Zimmer recently reported it was among the two market leaders in the U.S. knee replacement market, with the company's U.S. knee unit growth, in recent times, exceeding 20 percent.
The Zimmer knee product line is anchored by the NexGen® Complete Knee Solution, a product system that provides a range of options to meet a variety of surgical needs in knee replacement surgery. Zimmer knee sales growth in recent years has been especially enhanced with the introduction of Minimally Invasive Solutions(TM) (MIS) instrumentation for use with the M/G(TM) Unicompartmental Knee. The Uni knee is a partial joint replacement; when performed with the MIS instrumentation it can enable surgeons to provide a variety of benefits to patients, such as less blood loss and reduced rehabilitation time. Zimmer also recently introduced the NexGen Legacy Posterior Stabilized Flex knee, which enables patients to, potentially, safely regain greater range of motion compared to standard knee replacement surgery.
This year Zimmer has introduced Prolong(TM) Highly Crosslinked Polyethylene specifically formulated for cruciate retaining knee replacement. Prolong crosslinked polyethylene is significantly more resistant to wear compared to standard polyethylene.
Such products build upon a strong history of Zimmer products in knee replacement surgery. Zimmer began offering knee replacement products as early as 1975. The release in 1984 of the Miller/Galante Total Knee System was one of the first knee product systems that introduced the features of modularity, system instrumentation and porous surface options that remain standard features even today. Zimmer continued its association with such noted surgeon developers as Drs. Jo Miller, Jorge Galante and John Insall and during the late 1980s and early 1990s released enhanced knee systems such as the Insall/Burstein II®* Modular Knee system and the MG II® Total Knee System. The M/G Unicompartmental knee was first introduced in 1988. Zimmer began introducing the NexGen knee system in the United States in 1995.
Zimmer, based in Warsaw, Indiana, is a global leader in the design, development, manufacture and marketing of reconstructive orthopaedic implants and fracture management products. Orthopaedic reconstruction implants restore joint function lost due to disease or trauma in joints such as knees, hips, shoulders and elbows. Fracture management products are devices used primarily to reattach or stabilize damaged bone and tissue to support the body's natural healing process. Zimmer also manufactures and markets other products related to orthopaedic and general surgery. Zimmer was founded in 1927 and has more than 3,500 employees worldwide.
*trademark of The Hospital for Special Surgery
Visit Zimmer on the worldwide web at www.zimmer.com and www.pacewithlife.com
This press release contains forward-looking statements 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," "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. These risks and uncertainties include, but are not limited to, price and product competition, rapid technological development, demographic changes, dependence on new product development, the mix of our products and services, customer demand for our products and services, our ability to successfully integrate acquired companies, control of costs and expenses, our ability to form and implement alliances, international growth, U.S. and foreign government regulation, reimbursement levels from third-party payors, general industry and market conditions and growth rates and general domestic and international economic conditions including interest rate and currency exchange rate fluctuations. For a further list and description of such risks and uncertainties, see the reports filed by Zimmer with the Securities and Exchange Commission. Zimmer disclaims any intention or obligation to update or revise any forward-looking statements, whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise.