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| Mainpage / News Archive / News 2004 / Inion OPTIMA™ Polymers Recognised by The Wall Street Journal’s Global Technology Innovation Awards |
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For Immediate Release 22nd November 2004 Inion OPTIMA™ Polymers Recognised by The Wall Street Journal’s Global Technology Innovation AwardsTampere, Finland. 22nd November 2004…Inion, a rapidly growing company focused on the development of novel biodegradable medical implants, has been recognised with an accolade in The Wall Street Journal’s global Technology Innovation Awards 2004. Inion’s family of OPTIMA™ polymers, a range of biodegradable polymers used in the development of biodegradable medical implants for fracture fixation and reconstructive surgery, was named as one of the runners-up in the Materials and Other Base Technologies category. The awards recognise technological breakthroughs by individuals, companies, and organisations around the world in a wide range of areas, including medicine, software, hardware, the Internet, wireless and broadcasting. Inion’s OPTIMA™ range is made from a blend of rigid and elastic polymers to create implants with appropriate strength, malleability and degradation profiles to meet the specific clinical requirements of surgeons. Inion has used its OPTIMA materials to develop products in four main areas – craniomaxillofacial surgery, orthopaedic trauma, sports medicine and dental surgery. Products developed include plates, pins, screws and surgical mesh (for space retention, protective barriers or for fixation across multiple fracture sites). A key benefit of OPTIMA™ materials is that they degrade in the body into carbon dioxide and water. The rate of degradation is controllable, allowing the implant to provide sufficient initial stability to the fracture site and then, as it slowly degrades, it progressively transfers the load to bone to stimulate a more natural healing process. Typically, OPTIMA™ materials decrease to 70% strength 9-14 weeks after implantation (6-9 weeks for paediatric products) and disappear completely within 18-24 months. Auvo Kaikkonen, CEO of Inion, commented, “We are delighted that our OPTIMA polymers have been recognised as an important innovation by the Wall Street Journal. Inion’s technology is based on our knowledge of the biological and mechanical properties of bone healing, and our polymer blends provide our implants with the strength and degradation profile best suited to their purpose. This recognition by an international panel of judges highlights Inion’s ability to deliver true innovation in the biodegradable material arena.” About Inion Inion Ltd. is a Finnish company specialising in the development of biodegradable medical implants. Inion’s core expertise and technology lies in the design and manufacture of innovative biodegradable polymer devices, such as plates, screws, pins and membranes. These implants are used to enhance the healing of skeletal injuries (bone and soft tissue), such as those caused by trauma or by reconstructive surgery. Inion uses expertise in polymer chemistry and surgical techniques to develop systems with strength and degradation profiles tailored for each surgical application. Inion was founded in early 2000 by an international team of experts in biodegradable materials and their clinical applications. The Company has production and R&D facilities at the corporate headquarters in Tampere, Finland, and a US office in Oklahoma City, OK. Inion has developed and launched products in four strategic business areas – craniomaxillofacial surgery, orthopaedic trauma, sports medicine and dental surgery – in 35 countries worldwide, and has a number of international distribution agreements in place, including Stryker Corporation and Citagenix Inc in North America and Aesculap, part of B.Braun, in Central Europe. About The Wall Street Journal Technology Innovation Awards The Wall Street Journal’s first global Technology Innovation Awards attracted 585 applications from more than 24 countries. The winners were selected by an independent panel of judges from such companies and organisations as Siemens AG, IESE Business School in Spain and the Swiss Federal Institute of Technology. The judges considered these crucial factors, among others, in making their selections: 1. Innovations should go well beyond what already exists and cannot simply represent incremental improvements. 2. Innovations need to address major challenges for which new solutions would have a wide-ranging impact in a particular industry. 3. The applications need to be supported by rigorous data rather than unsubstantiated claims of potential. A special section featuring the award winners was published in The Wall Street Journal Europe on Friday, November 19th. The full list of winners and details of the judging panel can also be found online at www.wsj.com (subscription site) or www.dowjones.com/innovation (free access). For Further Information: Auvo Kaikkonen Mark Swallow / Emma Timewell Dow Jones & Company Previous | Next |