First Case with Anika WristMotion Total Wrist

Anika Therapeutics commenced limited launch and announced the first surgery performed with Anika’s WristMotion® Total Wrist Arthroplasty (TWA) System.

“At Anika, we continue to focus on meaningful advancements in areas with unmet needs as well as market opportunities that will allow patients to remain active and engaged in the activities they love. Preserving motion and native anatomy are core pillars of our innovation philosophy and our R&D roadmap where the WristMotion TWA is a key strategic addition to our portfolio,” said Steven W. Ek, Vice President of R&D at Anika. “The WristMotion System is a major advancement in total wrist replacement and further solidifies our leadership position in this market while providing an opportunity to pull through other key products in our joint preservation portfolio. We are thrilled that patients will now be able to experience the benefits of this minimally invasive, bone-sparing and motion preserving treatment for wrist pain and arthritis. It doesn’t just restore motion, it restores natural motion.”

The WristMotion TWA System, cleared by FDA in 2020, is a modular joint preservation system that replaces both the radial and carpal sides of the wrist joint for patients suffering from rheumatoid arthritis, osteoarthritis, or post-traumatic arthritis. The system incorporates Anika’s proven fixation technology in the central carpal taper post design, also used in the WristMotion Hemiarthroplasty system, which has been in clinical use since 2015, with over 2,600 cases performed to date. This system design is intended to address the concern of carpal loosening as it relates to existing systems on the market today.

The WristMotion System also utilizes the Company’s dual curvature design feature in the carpal implant combined with the dorsal flange (or hood) which allows for greater range of extension due to the increased implant surface area1. Preclinical robotic testing has demonstrated that the combination of these features provides exceptional range of motion and rotational freedom (often called “dart thrower’s motion”), consistent with the Company’s design philosophy of preserving the complex kinematics of the native joints. The WristMotion TWA System, along with the WristMotion Hemiarthroplasty device, provides surgeons with multiple treatment options for different stages and severities of wrist osteoarthritis.

Full U.S. launch will occur in late September.

Source: Anika Therapeutics