Study shows patients treated with Smith+Nephew’s CARTIHEAL™ AGILI-C™ Cartilage Repair Implant have an 87% lower relative risk of Total Knee Arthroplasty or Osteotomy at 4 years¹*

The CARTIHEAL Implant will be featured at the Arthroscopy Association of North America Annual Meeting (AANA 2025) this week

Smith+Nephew (LSE:SN, NYSE:SNN), the global medical technology company, today announces encouraging results for its CARTIHEAL AGILI-C Cartilage Repair Implant from a recent multicentre randomised controlled trial (RCT) treating knee cartilage defects. When compared to the current surgical standard of care,^* the implant demonstrated: 

• Superior pain relief: Patients treated with the CARTIHEAL AGILI-C Implant reported significantly better knee pain relief, and quality of life improvements over a 4-year period.^{1-3 **} 

• Superior functional gains: Patients treated with the CARTIHEAL Implant reported superior improvements in performing activities related to daily living, sport and recreation at 2 and 4 years. ^1-3

• Different patient profiles – same great results: The scaffold effectively treated a broad group of patients across age, lesion size, and presence of osteoarthritis while delivering clinically meaningful results.^{1-3 **} 

Smith+Nephew's FDA-approved CARTIHEAL Implant, which previously received breakthrough designation, is revolutionizing the cartilage repair landscape. In line with AANA's mission to improve patient outcomes through education and innovation, the implant’s broad indication allows physicians to treat patients who previously may not have had access.

Professor Elizaveta Kon from Humanitas Research Hospital, who plans to present 4-year outcomes of the implant with respect to gender during AANA 2025, highlighted the importance of inclusivity in study design. "We need a technology that we can trust to work in the patients we see day-to-day. This is where CARTIHEAL has excelled, showcasing superior performance across genders, lesion location, and more.”

Dr. Vinod Dasa of Louisiana State University School of Medicine finds the technology particularly meaningful for his patients. "The patients that come to see me are looking for a bridging procedure that enables them to continue their day-to-day life, playing with their kids and grandkids. In addition to the pain relief and functional gains, the 87% reduction in the risk of subsequent total knee arthroplasty (TKA) and osteotomy compared to the surgical standard of care resonates with almost every patient. The potential to delay if not avoid TKA is top of mind of almost every patient with mild/moderate osteoarthritis."

Using the CARTIHEAL Implant to treat a spectrum of cartilage pathologies will be featured during a lunch symposium on Friday, May 9 during AANA 2025. You can also learn more by visiting the CARTIHEAL Implant webpage here. 

To learn more about Smith+Nephew’s Sports Medicine joint repair solutions and enabling technologies, please visit our booth (#303) at AANA 2025 in Washington DC May 8-10, or visit www.smith-nephew.com. 

- ends –

Media Enquiries 

Dave Snyder          +1 (978) 749-1440 

Smith+Nephew      david.snyder@smith-nephew.com

* compared to debridement or microfracture? 
? 
**? over a 2- and 4-year follow-up? 

 

References

1. 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?
2. 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?
3. 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. https://doi.org/10.1186/s10195-025-00829-y

 

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 $5.8 billion in 2024. 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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^? Trademark of Smith+Nephew. Certain marks registered in US Patent and Trademark Office.