Synovis Life Technologies Announces Publication of Veritas® Article in The American Journal of Surgery
Data Show Excellent Ventral Hernia Repair Outcomes With Use of Veritas
ST. PAUL, Minn.–(BUSINESS WIRE)– Synovis Life Technologies, Inc. (Nasdaq: SYNO), a leading biomaterial and surgical products company, announced today that The American Journal of Surgery has published an article on the performance of Synovis’ Veritas® Collagen Matrix for the repair of complex ventral hernias. The lead author is Dr. Jonathan N. Limpert, who describes the outcomes of 26 patients who were treated with Veritas for complex ventral hernias.
Veritas is an extremely conformable and strong biomaterial which acts as a “scaffold” that allows for rapid revascularization and repopulation by the surrounding host tissue. “Ventral hernia repair is a complex, often persistent problem, and we are pleased that Veritas performed extremely well in these difficult cases,” said Richard W. Kramp, Synovis Life Technologies president and chief executive officer. “As a biomaterial with unique properties, Veritas has demonstrated its ability to improve results in hernia repair, as well as several other applications. We are devoting resources to clinical studies to generate more data demonstrating the efficacy of Veritas and to provide physicians with this data for their clinical decisions.”
The retrospective Veritas study reviewed outcomes of 26 patients with 30 primary or recurrent ventral hernias. All patients had either an infected wound or failure of a synthetic mesh material implant. Ventral hernia repair with synthetic mesh has recurrence rates up to 54 percent, and this material cannot be used when an infection is present. At 22 months, the recurrence rate among patients treated with Veritas was 19 percent. The majority of patients had their hernia defect bridged with Veritas. The literature documents an 80 percent failure rate for the bridging procedure when the human skin product of a major competitor is used.
Synovis was recently notified that Veritas received CE Mark approval for use in hernia repair and breast reconstruction, and the company is now marketing the product to physicians in Europe. Synovis introduced Veritas into the ventral hernia market in the United States in early fiscal 2007 and into the breast reconstruction market in 2008.
About Veritas
Veritas is an exceptionally supple and durable product. In addition to providing strength and flexibility, Veritas tolerates acute and chronic infections and unwanted chronic inflammation that occurs frequently in response to the use of synthetic patches. The distinct characteristics of Veritas, which include its pericardial substrate and proprietary processing, offer functional and ease of use advantages over other biological patches. Veritas is the only biologic graft with an FDA indication for minimal tissue attachment, a painful complication associated with hernia surgery. Technical characteristics of Veritas are described in an article in Surgical Technology International XVIII, published in July 2009.
About Synovis Life Technologies
Synovis Life Technologies, Inc., based in St. Paul, Minn., develops, manufactures and markets mechanical and biological products used by several surgical specialties for the repair of soft tissue damaged or destroyed by disease or injury. The company’s products are designed to reduce risks and/or facilitate critical surgeries, improve patient outcomes and reduce healthcare costs. For additional information on Synovis Life Technologies and its products, visit the company’s Web site at www.synovislife.com.
Forward-looking statements contained in this press release are made pursuant to the safe harbor provisions of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. The statements can be identified by words such as “should”, “could”, “may”, “will”, “expect”, “believe”, “anticipate”, “estimate”, “continue”, or other similar expressions. Certain important factors that could cause results to differ materially from those anticipated by the forward-looking statements made herein include the timing of product introductions, the ability of the expanded surgical direct sales force to grow revenues, outcomes of clinical and marketing studies, the number of certain surgical procedures performed, the ability to identify, acquire and successfully integrate suitable acquisition candidates, any operational or financial impact of the current global economic downturn, and any claims for indemnification related to the sale of the interventional business, as well as the other factors found in the company’s reports to the Securities and Exchange Commission, including the Annual Report on Form 10-K, as amended by Form 10-K/A (Amendment No. 1) for the year ended October 31, 2008.