Biocomposites Doubling SYNICEM Bone Cement Production in the U.K.

Biocomposites is making its SYNICEM bone cement products available in the United Kingdom immediately to meet demand for the product.

Biocomposites had planned to launch the SYNICEM bone cements after releasing the SYNICEM antibiotic-loaded preformed spacers in the U.K. last year, but the company expedited the bone cements’ U.K. market introduction to help ease the supply crisis in that country.

“The NHS is currently facing an acute bone cement supply crisis, which could lead to thousands of orthopedic operations such as hip and knee replacements being delayed. We at Biocomposites, which is one of the few companies in the world capable of manufacturing bone cement at scale, want to do everything we can to help so patients do not have to wait any longer than absolutely necessary for their vital operations,” Biocomposites CEO Michael Harris said. “We have therefore decided to bring forward the launch of our SYNICEM bone cement products in the U.K. with immediate effect, to make them available as soon as possible. We are also doubling capacity at our manufacturing facility, principally to help meet U.K. demand. We believe these measures will go a long way to helping meet NHS demand for bone cement and minimizing delays to operations.”

SYNICEM bone cement products are CE marked and already fully approved for use in the United Kingdom. They are available as high- and low-viscosity variants, with and without the antibiotic gentamicin. SYNICEM bone cement products have been manufactured for more than 25 years by Biocomposites’ subsidiary, Synimed.

SYNICEM bone cements provide the ideal interface between prosthesis and bone—optimized to provide secure and stable fixation for joint replacement surgery, including between irregular bone surfaces and the prosthesis. SYNICEM bone cements are manufactured in-house under strictly controlled conditions using a proprietary process. The SYNICEM bone cement range includes cements loaded with gentamicin (an antibiotic) for revision procedures in patients with a high infection risk due to gentamicin-sensitive bacteria and patients with compromised immunity. SYNICEM bone cements are already used in more than 100 countries worldwide.

Biocomposites is an international medical device company that engineers, manufactures, and markets products for infection management in bone and soft tissue. Based in Keele, U.K., it maintains operations across Europe, South America, the United States, Canada, China, and India. Biocomposites develops calcium compounds and bone cements for surgical use. Its products regenerate bone and target infection risks across various specialties, including musculoskeletal infection, orthopedics, trauma, spine, foot and ankle, podiatry, and sports injuries. Biocomposites’ products are currently used in more than 1 million procedures annually.