Smith+Nephew’s revolutionary CARTIHEAL™ AGILI-C™ Cartilage Repair Implant launches in Europe; to be featured at ICRS Summit in Portugal

Smith+Nephew (LSE:SN, NYSE:SNN), the global medical technology company, today announces that its innovative CARTIHEAL AGILI-C Cartilage Repair Implant is now commercially available in Europe. The CARTIHEAL Implant will take center stage at this week’s International Cartilage Regeneration & Joint Preservation Society (ICRS) Summit in Porto, Portugal from October 8-10.

Introduced by Smith+Nephew in the US during 2024, the CARTIHEAL Implant is rapidly transforming the cartilage repair landscape. Composed of aragonite, a naturally occurring calcium carbonate acting as a biphasic scaffold, the implant is able to repair cartilage, restore bone, and relieve pain.^1-5,* These unique properties enable physicians to surgically treat patients who previously had no access to cartilage repair procedures.^1,4,5

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Compelling evidence from a multicenter, randomized controlled trial highlighting the clinical superiority of the CARTIHEAL Implant was recently published in the American Journal of Sports Medicine (AJSM). The study concluded that the CARTIHEAL AGILI-C Cartilage Repair Implant resulted in higher overall Knee injury and Osteoarthritis Outcome Scores (KOOS) versus surgical standard of care^** for all time points out to 60 months.⁵

Additionally, the study also found:

• Superior pain relief: Patients treated with the CARTIHEAL AGILI-C Implant reported significantly better knee pain relief and quality of life improvements over a 5-year period.^1,4-6,*
  
• Superior functional gains: Patients treated with the CARTIHEAL Implant reported superior improvements in performing activities related to daily living, sport and recreation at 2, 4 and 5-years.^1,4-6
  
• Patients with/without osteoarthritis (OA): No statistical difference in clinical outcomes found in OA and non-OA patients receiving the CARTIHEAL Implant.^4,***
  

Joaquin Lasso, Smith+Nephew’s SVP and GM of Sports Medicine International commented, "Smith+Nephew is committed to advancing technologies that address meaningful unmet clinical needs. The launch of the CARTIHEAL Implant in Europe brings surgeons an innovative, evidence-backed solution for cartilage repair and reinforces our focus on helping patients achieve better long-term outcomes and return to their active lives."

"The treatment of cartilage and osteochondral defects continues to be one of the most challenging areas in Orthopedic sports medicine. It is encouraging to see innovative treatment approaches such as the CARTIHEAL AGILI-C Implant becoming available to more surgeons and patients worldwide,” said Dr. Francesca de Caro, Specialist in Orthopedics, Knee, and Hip Surgery at Pavia Hospital in Italy. “Expanding access to new technologies, together with ongoing clinical education and scientific exchange, helps advance our ability to address these complex conditions and improve patient care."

The CARTIHEAL Implant will first be introduced in Austria, Belgium, France, Germany, Ireland, Italy, Luxembourg, Netherlands, Portugal, Spain, Switzerland, and the UK, with other countries expected to follow shortly after. To learn more about Smith+Nephew’s CARTIHEAL AGILI-C Cartilage Repair Implant, please visit our booth at ICRS (#2) and view the product webpage here.

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Media Enquiries
Dave Snyder                +1 (978) 749-1440
Smith+Nephew        david.snyder@smith-nephew.com

* Over 2-, 4-& 5-year follow-up compared to microfracture or debridement

** Compared to debridement or microfracture

*** Overall KOOS improvements at 48 months; KL 0-1 vs 2-3  

References

1. Altschuler N, Zaslav KR, Di Matteo B, et al. Aragonite-Based Scaffold Versus Microfracture and Debridement for the Treatment of Knee Chondral and Osteochondral Lesions: Results of a Multicenter Randomized Controlled Trial. Am J Sports Med. 2023;51(4):957-967.
2. Kon E, Di Matteo B, Verdonk P, et al. Aragonite-Based Scaffold for the Treatment of Joint Surface Lesions in Mild to Moderate Osteoarthritic Knees: Results of a 2-Year Multicenter Prospective Study. Am J Sports Med. 2021;49(3):588-598.
3. Kon E, Filardo G, Shani J, et al. Osteochondral regeneration with a novel aragonite-hyaluronate biphasic scaffold: up to 12-month follow-up study in a goat model. J Orthop Surg Res. 2015;10:81.
4. Conte P, Anzillotti G, Crawford DC, et al. Differential analysis of the impact of lesions' location on clinical and radiological outcomes after the implantation of a novel aragonite-based scaffold to treat knee cartilage defects. Int Orthop. 2024;48(12):3117-3126
5. Altschuler N, Zaslav KR, Di Matteo B, et al. Five-Year Follow-up of a Multicenter Randomized Controlled Trial Comparing an Aragonite-Based Scaffold With Microfracture and Debridement for Chondral and Osteochondral Knee Lesions. The American Journal of Sports Medicine. 2026;54(6):1376-1385
6. Kon, E., De Caro, F., Dasa, V., M Scopp, J., Di Matteo, B., Flanigan, D., Shabshin, N., Strickland, S., & Altschuler, N. (2025). Female patients report comparable results to males after the implantation of an aragonite-based scaffold for the treatment of knee chondral and osteochondral defects: a gender-based analysis of a RCT at 4 years' follow-up. J of Ortho and Traumatology, 26(1), 17.

About Smith+Nephew
Smith+Nephew is a portfolio medical technology business focused on the repair, regeneration and replacement of soft and hard tissue. We exist to restore people’s bodies and their self-belief by using technology to take the limits off living. We call this purpose ‘Life Unlimited’. Our 17,000 employees deliver this mission every day, making a difference to patients’ lives through the excellence of our product portfolio, and the invention and application of new technologies across our three global business units of Orthopaedics, Sports Medicine & ENT and Advanced Wound Management.

Founded in Hull, UK, in 1856, we now operate in around 100 countries, and generated annual sales of $6.2 billion in 2025. Smith+Nephew is a constituent of the FTSE100 (LSE:SN, NYSE:SNN). The terms ‘Group’ and ‘Smith+Nephew’ are used to refer to Smith & Nephew plc and its consolidated subsidiaries, unless the context requires otherwise.

For more information about Smith+Nephew, please visit www.smith-nephew.com and follow us on X, LinkedIn, Instagram or Facebook.

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