Smith+Nephew takes centre court sponsoring players competing at Wimbledon; global Sports Medicine technology leader helping athletes get back in the game

Smith+Nephew (LSE:SN, NYSE:SNN), the global medical technology company, today announces it will sponsor tennis players participating in The Championships, Wimbledon 2024 to spotlight its advanced Sports Medicine portfolio alongside some of the greatest athletes in the world. Smith+Nephew endeavours to help people live their ‘Life Unlimited’ by aiding in their recovery from injury and get them back to doing what they love.

Click to play video - Smith+Nephew Proud Player Sponsor at The Championships, Wimbledon 2024

Tennis is an elegant sport but can be rough on the body – especially to a player’s joints. Two common injuries^1,2 that tennis players suffer are rotator cuff tears in the shoulder and meniscus tears in the knee. Smith+Nephew offers advanced solutions for both of these injuries that are supported by clinical evidence and time-tested results.

Smith+Nephew’s comprehensive Advanced Healing Solutions portfolio is redefining biological healing in rotator cuff repair. Backed by 10 years of clinical evidence and more than 100,000 procedures completed globally since its introduction in 2014, the REGENETEN Bioinductive Implant has had a transformative impact, offering a better solution for more than 1 million³ patients having surgery for a rotator cuff tear each year. The collagen-based implant supports the body’s natural healing response to facilitate the formation of new tendon-like tissue to biologically augment the existing tendon and change the course of rotator cuff tear progression.^4-10

Smith+Nephew also has an established track record of success in knee repair including a 30-year legacy of saving the meniscus rather than removing it. One of the most frequently published meniscal repair devices on the market, the FAST-FIX^◊ Family of meniscal repair solutions has helped surgeons repair hundreds of thousands¹¹ of meniscal tears over the past 30 years due to its ease of use,¹² high fixation strength,^*13-16 and strong, reliable repairs.^17-19 With an 88% mean success rate of all-inside repairs,²⁰ the FAST-FIX Family has truly helped patients return to a Life Unlimited.

“Both Smith+Nephew and the players participating in Wimbledon share a common thread as leaders in their respective fields and being among the best at what they do,” said Christie Van Geffen, Senior Vice President of Global Marketing for Sports Medicine at Smith+Nephew. “It’s an honour to sponsor players competing in this year’s Championship and we look forward to helping athletes all over the world get back to performing at the highest level.”

If you would like to find out more about Smith+Nephew’s leading Sports Medicine technology portfolio – including the REGENETEN Bioinductive Implant and FAST-FIX Family of meniscal repair solutions – please visit www.smith-nephew.com.

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*As demonstrated in biomechanical testing

References

1. Dines, JS et al. Tennis Injuries: Epidemiology, Pathophysiology, and Treatment. J Am Acad Orth Surg. 2015;23(3):181-189
2. Majewski M et al.Epidemiology of athletic knee injuries: A 10-year study. The Knee. 2006;13(3):184-188
3. iData Research. Rotator cuff repair and reconstruction market size, share and trends analysis (2023). Available at: https://idataresearch.com/product/rotator-cuff-repair-reconstruction-market-size-share-and-trends-analysis-global-2023-2029-medsuite-includes-grafts-allografts-xenograft-synthetic-and-1-more/#. Accessed December 19, 2023.
4. Ruiz Ibán MA, Navlet MG, Marco SM, et al. Augmentation of a transosseous equivalent repair in posterosuperior non-acute rotator cuff tears with a bioinductive collagen implant decreases the re-tear rate at one year. A randomised controlled trial. Arthroscopy. Published online 12/27/2023.
5. Bokor DJ, Sonnabend D, Deady L, et al. Evidence of healing of partial-thickness rotator cuff tears following arthroscopic augmentation with a collagen implant: a 2-year MRI follow-up. Muscles, Ligaments Tendons J. 2016;6(1):16-25.
6. Schlegel TF, Abrams JS, Bushnell BD, Brock JL, Ho CP. Radiologic and clinical evaluation of a bioabsorbable collagen implant to treat partial-thickness tears: a prospective multicenter study. J Shoulder Elbow Surg. 2018 27(2):242-251.
7. Van Kampen C, Arnoczky S, Parks P, et al. Tissue-engineered augmentation of a rotator cuff tendon using a reconstituted collagen scaffold: a histological evaluation in sheep. Muscles Ligaments Tendons J. 2013;3(3):229-235.
8. Arnoczky SP, Bishai SK, Schofield B, et al. Histologic Evaluation of Biopsy Specimens Obtained After Rotator Cuff Repair Augmented With a Highly Porous Collagen Implant. Arthroscopy. 2017;33(2):278-283
9. Bokor DJ, Sonnabend DH, Deady L, et al. Healing of partial-thickness rotator cuff tears following arthroscopic augmentation with a highly porous collagen implant: a 5-year clinical and MRI follow-up. Muscles, Ligaments Tendons J. 2019;9(3):338-347.
10. McElvany MD, McGoldrick E, Gee AO, Neradilek MB, Matsen FA, 3rd. Rotator cuff repair: published evidence on factors associated with repair integrity and clinical outcome. Am J Sports Med. 2015;43(2):491-500.
11. Internal Smith+Nephew sales data from 2023 FY STGP RM
12. Smith+Nephew 2015.Ver/Val, Protocol/Report, FAST-FIX 360 Delivery System. Internal Report. 15000994 Rev. E.
13. Smith+Nephew 2004. Suture performance in standard arthroscopic knots - Effects of material and design. Internal Report. 1061539 Rev. A.
14. Smith+Nephew 2007. Internal Test Request - ULTRA FAST-FIX. Internal Report. ITR-3457.
15. Smith+Nephew 2010.The biomechanical performance of the FAST-FIX 360 meniscal repair system. Internal Report. DOF 10600596.
16. Smith+Nephew 2007.Evaluation of the mechanical properties of the ULTRA FAST-FIX meniscal repair system in a bovine meniscus model. Internal Report. DOF 10600342
17. Uzun E, Misir A, Kizkapan TB, et al. Evaluation of Midterm Clinical and Radiographic Outcomes of Arthroscopically Repaired Vertical Longitudinal and Bucket-Handle Lateral Meniscal Tears. Orthop J Sports Med. 2019;7(5):1 - 8.
18. Shearman A, Foster A, Wilson A, Risebury M, Yasen S. Excellent medium-term survival of an all-inside tensionable knotted suture device justifies repair of most meniscal tears encountered during reconstructive knee ligament surgery. Knee Surg Sports Traumatol Arthrosc. 2020:1-8.
19. Laurendon L, Neri T, Farizon F, Philippot R. Prognostic factors for all-inside meniscal repair. A 87-case series. OTSR. 2017;103(7):1017 - 1020.
20. Johnson, D., Souter, P., Sedgwick, M.. Clinical Performance of an All-inside Meniscal Repair Device: A Systematic Literature Review with Meta-analysis. ISAKOS. 2023.

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 18,000 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 more than 100 countries, and generated annual sales of $5.5 billion in 2023. 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.

Forward-looking Statements

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^◊ Trademark of Smith+Nephew. Certain marks registered in US Patent and Trademark Office.