Osimplant Selects Polymer From Invibio for its Spine Device

Spine device manufacturer Osimplant has selected Invibio’s PEEK-based Motis polymer for its CE Marked Aramis cervical disc prosthesis. Reportedly, this device is the first to incorporate an inlay made from carbon fiber-reinforced Motis polymer.

According to Osimplant General Manager Özcan Karadag, Motis is a high performing, versatile biomaterial that provides new options in articulating devices. This is reportedly due to the combination of mechanical strength, creep resistance and wear performance, which he considers vital to realizing Aramis’ design potential.

Invibio introduced carbon fiber-reinforced PEEK (polyether ether ketone) for structural medical device applications more than a decade ago. The successful clinical use has led to its use in articulating devices in knee, finger and spinal applications.

Designed to minimize patient pain and combat such spinal degenerative diseases as spondylosis (degeneration of the vertebral discs) and herniated nucleus pulposus (a slipped disc), Aramis will be heavily reliant on the attributes of Motis to function ideally. Executives hope the design of the Motis-enhanced inlay, for example, significantly will reduce wear between the inlay and endplates, thereby prolonging the implant’s life. Motis also purportedly is highly resistant to creep, creates minimal wear debris against metal and ceramic counterfaces, and is tailored specifically to meet the critical requirements of load bearing applications.

“During the development phase we considered alternative materials, such as polyethylene and ceramic,” explained Karadag. “Ultimately, however, we selected Motis [because it] provides a wide range of technological and application benefits that exceed the performance attributes of traditional materials. The proven benefits—including improved load bearing capabilities and extremely low wear-rate results against hard counterfaces, such as metal—indicate the effectiveness of Motis as an alternative to ceramics and UHMWPE [ultra-high-molecular-weight polyethylene] in total disc arthroplasty.”

Launched in Europe and the Middle East in July, Aramis is intended to restore anatomical balance and maintain physiological motion, ranging from flexion/extension and rotation through to lateral bending.

Invibio provides high performance biomaterials, advanced technical research, and consultative solutions to medical device manufacturers across a wide range of markets. The company provides medical device manufacturers with PEEK-Optima polymer and compounds, Motis polymer, Endolign composite and PEEK-Classix polymer for the development of long- and short-term implantable medical devices. The company is based in Lancashire, United Kingdom.

Ankara, Turkey based-Osimplant has established a quality assurance system to fulfill ISO13485 and CE requirements. The standards range from material procurement to design development and automated production processes.

Photo of Motis reinforced PEEK-based polymer courtesy of Invibio.