Smith+Nephew (LSE:SN.), the London and New York-listed medical technology group, said on Tuesday that its CARTIHEAL AGILI-C Cartilage Repair Implant is now commercially available in Europe.
The device will be showcased at the International Cartilage Regeneration & Joint Preservation Society (ICRS) Summit in Porto, Portugal, running from 8 to 10 October.
Smith+Nephew first introduced the implant in the United States in 2024, part of its sports medicine and orthopaedics push to widen access to cartilage repair procedures for patients who previously had none.
The implant is made from aragonite, a naturally occurring calcium carbonate that acts as a biphasic scaffold, and is designed to repair cartilage, restore bone and relieve pain.
A multicentre, randomised controlled trial published in the American Journal of Sports Medicine found the implant delivered higher Knee injury and Osteoarthritis Outcome Scores than surgical standard of care, comparing it with microfracture or debridement, at every time point out to 60 months.
The study also reported superior pain relief and quality-of-life gains over five years, stronger functional improvements at two, four and five years, and no statistical difference in outcomes between patients with and without osteoarthritis.
"The launch of the CARTIHEAL Implant in Europe brings surgeons an innovative, evidence-backed solution for cartilage repair and reinforces our focus on helping patients achieve better long-term outcomes and return to their active lives," said Joaquin Lasso, Smith+Nephew's senior vice president and general manager of Sports Medicine International.
The implant will launch first in Austria, Belgium, France, Germany, Ireland, Italy, Luxembourg, the Netherlands, Portugal, Spain, Switzerland and the UK, with further countries to follow.