Wright and ArthroCare Sign Distribution Deal

Wright Medical Group Inc. has formed a supply and distribution agreement with ArthroCare Corporation. ArthroCare, a manufacturer of sports medicine devices, will supply Wright with products for soft tissue fixation of the foot and ankle based on ArthroCare’s knotless suturing technology.

The agreement with Austin, Texas-based ArthroCare includes a line of tissue fixation devices based on ArthroCare’s Opus knotless suture fixation technology, which Wright will distribute exclusively to foot and ankle surgeons worldwide. Opus allows surgeons to affix tendons and ligaments to bony structures efficiently and reproducibly, without the need to tie knots. ArthroCare’s fixation technology is widely used in the rotator cuff repair market and has been used clinically since 2001 in more than 100,000 procedures worldwide, the company said.

Bob Fencl, senior director of Foot and Ankle Marketing at Wright, commented, “We are extremely pleased to enter this agreement with ArthroCare. Soft tissue repair is a cornerstone of foot and ankle surgery, and this agreement allows Wright to deliver another innovative technology to our customers.”

Wright Medical, based in Arlington, Tenn., expects to commercialize products through this relationship during the second half of 2011 through its dedicated foot and ankle sales force.