Accentus Medical signs global license agreement with Zimmer

Accentus Medical, a U.K. medical technology company that supplies advanced coatings and surface treatments to the medical device industry, announced in a press release that it has signed a license and services agreement with Zimmer Holdings, Inc. This agreement will enable the use of Accentus Medical’s Agluna anti-infective technology on a potentially broad range of Zimmer products.

Under the terms of the agreement, Zimmer will acquire exclusive global rights to utilize Agluna for joint reconstruction and trauma products, the company said. In addition, it will have an 18-month option to acquire additional exclusive rights for spinal devices, dental implants and sports medicine products. As part of the agreement, there will be an initial period of further development of Agluna. Accentus and Zimmer will collaborate to secure regulatory approval for products treated with the Agluna technology in both the European Union and the United States. Financial details of the agreement were not disclosed, according to the press release.

Accentus said Agluna is a novel, patented surface modification technology that is applied to medical devices manufactured from titanium and its various alloys to reduce infection rates following surgical procedures. Medical device materials have been shown to be susceptible to rapid colonisation by bacteria, which then produce a plaque or biofilm as protection against the body’s defences. Implants treated with this technology have been shown to remain clear of such biofilm formation. In vitro testing has demonstrated that this surface technology has bactericidal effects against bacteria known to cause post-operative, device-related infection, including drug-resistant strains.

Philip Agg, chief executive of Accentus Medical, stated in the press release, “This agreement represents a significant step forward for Accentus Medical, and we are very pleased to be working with a company as prestigious as Zimmer. Having invested significant resources in developing the technology and in generating a large amount of evidence supporting its safety and efficacy, Accentus Medical is now in a position to fully commercialise and exploit the Agluna technology.”

“Applying the Agluna technology to our implants could lead to reductions in the occurrence of postoperative infections in joint replacement procedures,” Cheryl R. Blanchard, PhD, senior vice president and chief scientific officer at Zimmer, noted in the release. “We look forward to exploring these opportunities provided by Accentus Medical.”