Implants get going

In the July10 '06 issue of C&EN there is a report of the finnish firm -Inion which started in 2000 going big on the body implants. The product are sets of plates and screws to treat fractures in bones of face, jaw and skull; products designed to treat breaks in wrists, ankles, feet; products for sports medicine - biodeg spinal fusion system for spinal care among other products for orthopedic industry.

The concept is using biodeg polymers for implants instead of the currenty used metal implants since there is always a surgery required to extract the metal. The earlier showdown with these polymers were their lack of strength to hold the bones and were limited to use as pins and screws in minor surgery. But now, biodeg polymers such as glycolic acid, lactic acid and trimet-carbonate are blended (just like in technical polymer industry) to achieve the perfect rate of egradibility and strength required. Inion's latest product - Optimaplus uses plasticisers such as NMP (N-methyl pyrrolidone) to accelerate bone healing. It is currently running clinical trials to prove that use of NMP enhances bone healing upto 50%

This success only proves how we can extend from the polymer industry concepts to customize products for use in our body.