Smith & Nephew Orthopaedics and BrainLAB Announce Exclusive Computer-Assisted Surgery Development...( MEMPHIS Tenn. and MUNICH Feb. 25 ...),Health

MEMPHIS, Tenn. and MUNICH, Feb. 25 /PRNewswire/ -- Smith & Nephew's Orthopaedics business and BrainLAB today announce an agreement by which BrainLAB will become the exclusive vendor for developing and supporting computer-assisted surgical technologies for Smith & Nephew's high performance hip and knee implants.

Starting in March 2009, Munich-based BrainLAB will begin work integrating the Smith & Nephew portfolio of instruments, implants and pre-existing navigation technology into their proprietary systems. BrainLAB's expertise and leading market share will extend the success of Smith & Nephew in this arena, building on the innovations introduced within the implant maker's PiGALILEO system. For instance, the exclusive PiGALILEO ACCULIGN(TM) motorized positioning guide will be a central component of future development, and will remain exclusive to Smith & Nephew implant-specific applications.

"Relying exclusively on navigation from BrainLAB, the market and technology leader for computer assisted surgery, Smith & Nephew can focus more of our resources on our core business - the design, development, marketing and sale of orthopaedic implants," says Joseph DeVivo, president of Smith & Nephew Orthopaedics. "This supports our strategy to be the preferred brand of active patients while partnering with healthcare professionals to deliver innovative hip, knee and trauma portfolios."

Under the agreement, Smith & Nephew will provide marketing, sales support, training, and post-installation clinical support, while BrainLAB will execute sales of the navigation equipment, as well as applications training and service. Smith & Nephew will continue to support its base of existing computer-navigation customers who use its PiGALILEO and AchieveCAS(TM) systems.

This is not the first agreement between the two companies. Since 2003, BrainLAB has introduced applica
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