This year, Invibio Biomaterial Solutions marks the tenth anniversary of the launch of the PEEK-OPTIMA family of biomaterials, the world’s first implantable grade polyetheretherketone (PEEK) polymers. Since their introduction in 1999, versatile PEEK-OPTIMA polymers have rapidly gained market acceptance and today, the market-leading biomaterials are extensively used across the implantable medical device industry. More than two million devices featuring PEEK-OPTIMA polymer have been implanted in patients over the past decade.
PEEK-OPTIMA has transformed the medical device design landscape and set an industry standard for biomaterials biocompatibility, safety and quality. Backed by an extensive history of long-term implantation success and unmatched quality, PEEK-OPTIMA provides a unique combination of material properties, including strength, stiffness, radiolucency, creep and fatigue resistance. Balancing performance with design and processing flexibility, PEEK-OPTIMA presents a proven and versatile biomaterial platform for the medical device community.
According to Invibio President Michael Callahan, “Medical device designers a decade ago were constrained by the processing and mechanical properties of the more traditional biomaterials such as bone, metals, ceramics and other polymers. When we introduced PEEK-OPTIMA, it helped facilitate important advancement in device design and patient outcomes, enabling significant developments across several treatment areas. Today, Invibio continues to innovate and expand the ‘toolbox’ of medical device designers by creating the next generation of biomaterial solutions for the industry.”
The market’s continued confidence in PEEK-OPTIMA polymer is driven by Invibio's singular commitment to the medical device community, evidenced by the company’s pace of innovation and its establishment of the Invibio Global Technical Centre (IGTC) which is dedicated to advanced R&D, process and product innovation, and expert applications support.
Since the introduction of PEEK-OPTIMA polymer, Invibio has continued to introduce innovative biomaterials for the medical device market. Additions to the PEEK-OPTIMA family include image contrast compounds allowing controlled implant visibility through X-ray, CT and MRI technologies, and a reinforced compound providing increased strength and stiffness, and a modulus similar to that of cortical bone.
Invibio also introduced ENDOLIGN composite in 2006 to provide an ultra-high strength polymeric alternative to metals in high-load medical device applications, such as bone fracture plates and screws.
Invibio will introduce its MOTIS polymer, specifically developed to meet the demanding and specialized requirements of orthopedic applications such as joint arthroplasty, during the American Academy of Orthopedic Surgeons' (AAOS) 2009 Annual Meeting, February 25 -29, in Las Vegas. MOTIS polymer is a tool for innovation that drives arthroplasty device performance to the next level. The processing versatility and unique mechanical property range of MOTIS not only enables new approaches in the replacement of metal, ceramic and polyethylene components, but also facilitate its use in advanced arthroplasty device designs that provide anatomical stress distribution, conserve patient bone, and enable novel fixation mechanisms. The introduction of MOTIS is supported by research and published data that have shown the material to be biocompatible in both in-vitro and in-vivo applications, and to provide extremely low wear rates in hip and knee arthroplasty.
The adoption of Invibio’s materials by device manufacturers has enabled a new generation of medical devices better equipped to serve the demands of today’s active patient population. The company’s ongoing commitment to partnering with medical device manufacturers to develop innovative and high quality biomaterial solutions will help the industry meet the growing demands of tomorrow’s emerging device applications.