Lima Corporate introduced a new total knee in April and agreed to buy the knee and elbow systems from Zimmer Holdings Inc. and Biomet, Inc. that European regulators said needed to be divested in order to approve the Zimmer Biomet merger.
On April 14, 2015, the Udine, Italy-based company announced that it has reached an agreement to buy Zimmer’s Unicompartmental High Flex Knee (ZUK) and Biomet’s Discovery Elbow System within the European Economic Area (EAA) and Switzerland. The company is also taking over Biomet’s Vanguard Complete Knee System through a specific license agreement for Denmark and Sweden.
Lima has been a leading market player with a total shoulder arthroplasty implant that has been on the market for more than 12 years. The European elbow arthroplasty market, according to the company, is estimated to be $17 million.
The company also acquired non-exclusive rights for the manufacturing, marketing and sale of an exact copy of the Vanguard knee in the EEA.
The agreement will become effective after the Zimmer and Biomet deal has been closed. The European Commission approved Lima as a suitable buyer.
Physica Total Knee System
Lima’s new total knee replacement is the Physica System.
The system includes three different types of total knee implants.
“Physica KR is a patented kinematic and posterior cruciate ligament (PCL) retaining design able to induce natural knee kinematics without the use of a constraint mechanism.” The KR “is available for the European market and cleared by the FDA in the U.S.”
“Physica PS is the posterior stabilised solution (PCL sacrificing) with an asymmetric cam which allows an optimized knee kinematic profile and an enhanced load transmission through the tibial post during the entire flexion and extension cycle.”
The system” also includes a CR version or cruciate retaining implant which is PCL retaining and designed to conserve bone to improve load transfer and enable more anatomical patellar tracking. Both the Physica PS and CR are available for the European markets.”
Immediate Market Share
“With the launch of Physica, the acquisition of ZUK puts Lima on the map as a serious player in the knee market, ” said Lima CEO Luigi Ferrari. “To be focused on our historical markets, we decided that the EEA and Switzerland markets would best fit our strategy. The acquisition of the Vanguard portfolio will provide Lima an immediate market share in Denmark and Sweden, countries that are primarily tender-based.”
According to the company, the total knee replacement market in Europe has been estimated to be more than $1 billion in 2013 and is expected to continue to grow. The Unicompartmental (UNI) knee segment represents approximately 6% of the total knee replacement market. Purchasing the Zimmer knee will allow Lima to enter this market.
Lima Corporate
Lima has been known as a company specializing in the production of titanium since the company was founded 70 years ago. The company, according to the press announcement, “has become a reference player with a vertically integrated supply chain and the world’s largest additive manufacturing installment for the orthopedics medical device market. Therefore, Lima will have the capability to autonomously run all production for these three product lines.”
