Medical Design Briefs: 2021 Technology Leaders - 63

TECHNOLOGY LEADERS Electrical Connectors/Wires/Cables
Following the promising results from
the PEEK-for-Joints study at MGH,
Evonik's materials experts are taking
further steps to get the highperformance
polymer VESTAKEEP
approved for medical use in complex
joint prothesis systems. The regulatory
approval procedure in human medicine
is strictly oriented toward added
value for patients.
Evonik plans to provide sufficient evidence
of this added value, i.e., the
extension of the service life of a hip
prosthesis and thus a significant reduction
in revision procedures, in order to
identify partners for the further development
steps. The specialty chemicals
company aims to continue the wear
testing at MGH with other material
combinations, e.g., ceramics, followed
by clinical evaluation and eventually
integration and combination with existing
joint prothesis solutions.
Innovation Scenario from Veterinary
Medicine
Evonik's PEEK biomaterial is already
being used successfully in the latest generation
of hip prosthesis systems developed
by Swiss company KYON for pets
such as dogs and cats. At the heart of the
innovative technology is a friction partner
made of Evonik's VESTAKEEP PEEK
biomaterial with an additional carbonfiber-reinforced
PEEK ring between the
ceramic head and the cup. KYON's
unpublished data indicate that linear
wear is reduced by a factor of seven with
ceramic on PEEK compared to conventional
pairings.
Approximately 6,000 successfully performed
hip replacement procedures
without a single revision due to inlay
wear and just as many satisfied dogs -
including true champions (agility dogs)
- as well as five years of careful documentation
confirm the success of
KYON's PEEK-based hip replacement
system. Among other things, Evonik's
polymer experts would like to transfer
the material expertise and application
understanding from veterinary applications
with potential medical device manufacturers
to human medicine.
The use of VESTAKEEP PEEK as a
material component in human joint
prostheses is an innovative scenario and
once again demonstrates the possibiliMedical
Design Briefs 2021 Technology Leaders
ties of high-performance materials in
modern medicine.
If the breakthrough is successful, a
new quality in the treatment of hip
arthrosis would be available to human
medicine. Considering the more than
300 million cases of hip and knee
osteoarthritis worldwide in 2017, as published
by Annals of the Rheumatic Diseases,
this would be a significant medical
achievement.
This article was written by Marc Knebel,
Head of the Medical Systems Market Segment at
Evonik, Darmstadt/Essen, Germany. For more
information, visit http://info.hotims.com/
79416-343.
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