Artificial Meniscus Now Commercially Available in Israel

Active Implants LLC, a Memphis, Tennessee-based orthopedic implant company, has announced that its NUsurface^® Meniscus Implant—which the company claims is the world’s first “artificial meniscus”—has been commercially launched in Israel.

The company announced that two patients have been treated using the newly available artificial meniscus and that these surgeries represent the first time that an artificial meniscus has been commercially available to the general public. Prior to these surgeries, the NUsurface implant was only available in Israel in clinical trials.

The surgeries were performed by two leading surgeons who have been involved with the NUsurface Implant development since 2006. On November 11, Dr. Gabriel Agar from Shamir Medical Center completed the first commercial case in a public hospital. On November 12, Dr. Ron Arbel from Ramat-Aviv Medical Center treated the first commercial patient in a private clinic.

Eran Ganz, Vice President of Research & Development and head of the U.S. firm’s Israel operations, told OTW, “With these surgeries, the NUsurface Meniscus Implant is finally available to all Israelis, not just clinical trial participants. This milestone is important because Active Implants developed and manufactures the implant here. This step demonstrates the successful collaboration between offices distributed in the U.S., Israel and Europe.”

The meniscus is a tissue pad between the thigh and shin bones. Current treatments for a damaged or torn meniscus include pain management, physical therapy, injections, meniscal repair or transplantation techniques, or meniscectomy (surgical removal of the meniscus).

Approximately two million partial meniscectomies are performed each year in an attempt to alleviate pain; however, studies have shown that many people who get a meniscectomy continue to experience pain that impacts their quality of life and can eventually lead to knee replacement surgery. Transplant tissue is scarce, and in many countries, there are waiting lists.

The NUsurface Implant is a medial meniscus replacement implant designed for patients with persistent knee pain following medial meniscus surgery, or those that have failed meniscus repair, are not suitable candidates for meniscus allograft transplant, or are too young for partial or total knee replacement.

The NUsurface Implant is made from polycarbonate-urethane (PCU). It does not require fixation to bone or soft tissues. The NUsurface Implant mimics the function of the natural meniscus and redistributes loads transmitted across the knee joint, protecting the cartilage.

The NUsurface Meniscus Implant is inserted into the knee joint through a small incision, and patients typically can go home soon after the operation. The implant mimics the function of the natural meniscus and redistributes loads transmitted across the knee joint. It is made from a medical grade plastic and, as a result of its unique materials and composite structure and design, does not require fixation to bone or soft tissues.

Over the past ten years, NUsurface has been studied with clinical trials in Israel. In mid-September, Active Implants announced that it had been granted a Breakthrough Device Designation from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration. This designation was created to expedite the development and review process for medical devices that are novel or offer new technology for patients with life-threatening or irreversibly debilitating conditions.