Zimmer Announces New Testing Milestone For Vitamin E Advanced Bearing Technology

LAS VEGAS, March 26, 2015 /PRNewswire/ -- Zimmer Holdings, Inc. (NYSE and SIX: ZMH) is highlighting its Vivacit-E^® Advanced Bearing Technology with Vitamin E by celebrating a significant testing milestone.

A paper published earlier this month reported that, at 96 million cycles of in vitro wear testing, Vivacit-E Advanced Bearing Technology featuring Vitamin E grafted highly crosslinked polyethylene hip acetabular liners from Zimmer maintained a significant wear rate reduction of 95 percent, with no cracking, delamination or fracture observed on the samples evaluated¹.

"As patients for total hip replacements continue to skew younger and more active, it's more important than ever to provide them a product that offers proven, low-wear stability and durability, and that's exactly what Vivacit-E Technology does," said Matt Monaghan, Zimmer Senior Vice President and General Manager, Hips. "By offering a lifetime of wear resistance and the prevention of long-term oxidation, Vivacit-E Advanced Bearing Technology plays a crucial role in making hip replacement technology from Zimmer the industry standard."

Zimmer's Vivacit-E Vitamin E Technology has been lab tested to mimic the number of walking steps an implant will typically be subjected to during its lifetime. Based on the average American life expectancy of 78.7 years, a patient who undergoes hip replacement at the age of 45 would need their implant to last for 34 years.² Depending on how active a person is, studies have shown that we typically take about 1.1 - 2.2 million walking steps per year. Therefore, the implant would be subjected to between 37 - 74 million steps during its lifetime.^3,4

"Because of this incredible longevity and durability, Vivacit-E Liners help make this hip replacement technology the implant of choice for younger and more active patients," Monaghan added.

About the Company
Founded in 1927 and headquartered in Warsaw, Indiana, Zimmer designs, develops, manufactures and markets orthopaedic reconstructive, spinal and trauma devices, dental implants, and related surgical products.  Zimmer has operations in more than 25 countries around the world and sells products in more than 100 countries.  Zimmer's 2014 sales were approximately $4.7 billion.  The Company is supported by the efforts of more than 9,000 employees worldwide.  More information about Zimmer is available at www.zimmer.com.

Cautionary Statement Regarding Forward-Looking Statements
This press release contains forward-looking statements within the meaning of the safe harbor provisions of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995.  Such statements are based upon the current beliefs and expectations of Zimmer's management and are subject to significant risks and uncertainties that could cause actual outcomes and results to differ materially.  These risks and uncertainties include, but are not limited to: future test results or patient experiences being inconsistent with test findings to date; actions of regulatory bodies or other governmental authorities; changes in laws and regulations; competitive developments; and other risks and uncertainties described in Zimmer's periodic reports filed with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission.  Zimmer disclaims any intention or obligation to update or revise any forward-looking statements, whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise, except as may be set forth in Zimmer's periodic reports.  Readers of this communication are cautioned not to place undue reliance on these forward-looking statements, since, while management believes the assumptions on which the forward-looking statements are based are reasonable, there can be no assurance that these forward-looking statements will prove to be accurate.

References:

1. Zimmer Report TTN 1010-001 wear testing conducted per ISO 14242-1. 
2. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (13 Feb 2014). Life Expectancy. Retrieved April 1, 2014 from http://www.cdc.gov/nchs/fastats/lifexpec.htm.
3. Morlock et al. "Duration and frequency of every day activities in total hip patients." Journal of Biomechanics. 2001;34(7):873-881. 
4. Kinkel et al. "Patient Activity after Total Hip Arthroplasty Declines with Advancing Age." CORR. 2009;467:2053-2058.

Logo - http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20131216/MM33947LOGO

To view the original version on PR Newswire, visit:http://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/zimmer-announces-new-testing-milestone-for-vitamin-e-advanced-bearing-technology-300056439.html

SOURCE Zimmer Holdings, Inc.