Clinical Study: Patient-Specific Total Knee Replacement with Conformis Technology Is More Cost-Effective Than with Leading Off-the-Shelf Implants

Independent, retrospective review of 2016-2019 surgeon data by University of Washington researchers demonstrates that ConforMIS iTotal® knee replacement implants enable expedited surgical time and reduce length of hospital stay.

BILLERICA, Mass., March 17, 2021 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Conformis, Inc. (NASDAQ:CFMS) announced today that an independent, retrospective review of hospital data has concluded that Conformis iTotal® knee replacement technology is more cost-effective than leading traditional, off-the-shelf implants. Importantly, this study was independently performed with no sponsorship or funding from Conformis.

The new abstract was presented by authors at the Orthopaedic Research Society 2021 Annual Meeting (ORS 2021 Annual Meeting), held in February 2021:

Custom-designed total knee arthroplasty is cost-effective in comparison to a standard implant, Navin Fernando MD, Ann Chancellor CCRC, Paul Manner MD, University of Washington, Seattle, WA, 2021 Proceedings of Orthopaedic Research Society, Paper 0980

The retrospective review was performed at a single medical institution between 2016 and 2019 using a financial database and electronic health records.

Patient demographics, total direct costs, length of stay (LOS) and opioid use were all investigated. Two groups were evaluated for procedures performed by a single surgeon, Dr. Paul Manner, MD, Joint Replacement/Hip and Knee Arthritis Professor in the Department of Orthopaedics and Sports Medicine at the University of Washington in Seattle. Procedures for a control group were performed by a second surgeon, Dr. Navin Fernando:

• Primary group – patient-specific implant (Conformis iTotal®)
• Comparison group – traditional implant (Zimmer Persona®)
• Control group – traditional implant (Stryker Triathlon®) performed by second surgeon
  

"We've been very pleased with the early outcomes for patients with the Conformis knee. Patients report that the knee feels more like a normal, healthy joint; they recover more quickly, and are back to regular activity substantially faster than with traditional, off-the-shelf implants,” said Dr. Paul Manner. "We found that the episode of care cost is substantially less with the Conformis knee because patients spent less time in the hospital, and because the surgery can be performed in less time. Everyone wins.”

"It is very gratifying to see Conformis technology once again demonstrate its superior performance, as presented at the ORS 2021 Annual Meeting,” said Mark Augusti, President and Chief Executive Officer, Conformis, Inc. "By designing and manufacturing Conformis iTotal® knee replacement implants to fit each individual’s unique anatomy, patients, surgeons, and medical facilities benefit from expedited surgeries and shorter hospital lengths of stay. Conformis iTotal® implants help to relieve chronic joint pain, while also driving savings for hospitals and insurance providers.”

The median patient age was 66 years old, and the median BMI was 31 for the three groups.

Mean LOS analysis:

• 1.35 days for Conformis iTotal® patients
• 1.99 days for Zimmer Persona® patients
• 1.83 for Stryker Triathlon® patients
  

Total direct costs analysis:

• $9,341 for Conformis iTotal® patients (savings of $1,006 to $1,263 per patient)
• $10,347 for Zimmer Persona® patients
• $10,604 for Stryker Triathlon® patients
  

There was no apparent difference in morphine equivalent dose use amongst the three groups.

The study concludes that total direct costs for hospital admissions appear to be more cost-effective with the Conformis iTotal® System, and variables such as operative time and LOS also appear to favor a patient-specific implant over traditional, off-the-shelf implants.

Three other comparative studies published between 2017 and 2019 also demonstrate that Conformis iTotal® implants drive savings for hospitals and insurance companies:

• O’Connor, Mary, and Blau, Brittany, "Assessing the Economic Value of Custom Implants." American Health & Drug Benefits. 2019, Vol.12, No. 2.
• Richard G. Buch, M.D., Robert W. Eberle, Jason Davis, M.D., and Rylie Buch, MS, "Does Implant Design Affect Hospital Metrics and Patents Outcomes? TKA Utilizing a ‘Fast-Track’ Protocol.” Reconstructive Review. 2019, Vol. 9 No. 1.
• Culler et al., "Comparison of Adverse Event Rates and Hospital Costs Between Customized Individually Made Implants and Standard Off-the-Shelf Implants for Total Knee Arthroplasty.” Arthroplasty Today 2017.
  

About Conformis, Inc.

Conformis is a medical technology company that uses its proprietary iFit® Image-to-Implant® technology platform to develop, manufacture, and sell joint replacement implants and instruments that are individually sized and shaped, which we refer to as personalized, individualized, or sometimes as customized, to fit each patient’s unique anatomy. Conformis offers a broad line of sterile, personalized knee and hip implants and single-use instruments delivered to hospitals and ambulatory surgical centers. In clinical studies, the Conformis iTotal® CR knee replacement system demonstrated superior clinical outcomes, including better function and greater patient satisfaction, compared to traditional, off-the-shelf implants. Conformis owns or exclusively in-licenses issued patents and pending patent applications that cover personalized implants and patient-specific instrumentation for all major joints.

For more information, visit www.conformis.com. To receive future releases in e-mail alerts, sign up at ir.conformis.com.

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