Orthofix Medical (Nasdaq:OFIX) announced today that it entered into a licensing partnership for the U.S. market with LimaCorporate.
The licensing partnership aims to provide a novel solution for patients with the challenging condition of chronic high dislocation of the hip. It will combine the limb-lengthening technology of Orthofix’s Fitbone intramedullary nail system with LimaCorporate’s proprietary, patient-specific, 3D-printed pelvic fixation device.
Lewisville, Texas-based Orthofix said in a news release that, once surgically implanted, the devices work together with the aim of allowing surgeons to distract the femur to an anatomically correct position, allowing for the correction of the leg-length discrepancy, reducing strain on the spine and allowing for a total hip replacement to follow.
The new solution currently does not have FDA clearance and is only available through an FDA compassionate use exemption, the company said.
“We are excited to partner with LimaCorporate to bring together our complementary technologies to satisfy the previously unmet needs of patients requiring a personalized and unique complex hip replacement solution,” Orthofix Orthopedics President Kimberley Elting said in the release. “This solution will be the only offering in the U.S. for certain patients with hip dysplasia or abnormalities of the hip leading to leg-length discrepancy, and reflects the strength and versatility of the Fitbone platform.
LimaCorporate’s ProMade 3D-printed custom service, which incorporates design and manufacturing in its unique PoC Center, is located at the main campus of Hospital for Special Surgery (HSS) in New York City.
“This partnership is an important opportunity for us to explore new segments and support even more U.S. surgeons and their patients,” LimaCorporate CEO Emmanuel Bonhomme said. “Additionally, the collaboration with the ProMade Point of Care Center (PoC Center), which opened last year, will bring added value in terms of experience and knowledge combined with our market-leading technologies in custom prosthesis.”