BONESUPPORT announces that the first patient has been enrolled by Dr Ravi Karia at the  University of Texas Health Science Center at San Antonio into the company’s pivotal Investigational Device Exemption trial:  A Prospective, Randomized, Multicenter Controlled Trial of CERAMENT G as Part of Surgical Repair of Open Diaphyseal Tibial Fractures (the FORTIFY trial: ClinicalTrials.gov Identifier: NCT02820363).

CERAMENT G is an injectable antibiotic-eluting bone graft substitute that has proven remodeling capabilities and provides local sustained delivery of gentamicin.  The data from the trial will support BONESUPPORT’s PMA (Premarket Approval) filing for CERAMENT G in the US. The FORTIFY trial will assess CERAMENT G’s ability to improve on the standard-of-care management of patients with open fractures of the tibial diaphysis. The primary endpoints of the trial will include the absence of deep infection at the fracture site and the lack of secondary procedures intended to promote fracture union.  The trial will also evaluate the safety of CERAMENT G in these patients. The trial will enroll up to 230 patients at up to 30 centers in the US and Europe.

“I am excited to take part in the FORTIFY clinical trial. The open tibial fracture remains the most common and one of the most troublesome open fractures managed by orthopedic surgeons. Even with modern treatment protocols, patients suffering this fracture continue to be at substantial risk of infection, fracture non-union, and prolonged disability. A product that could be inserted into the fracture site at the time of definitive treatment that could promote bone formation at the same time as reducing the risk of subsequent infection, would be a major advance in the treatment of these troublesome fractures and would have the potential to provide benefit to thousands of patients each year in the United States,” says Dr. Douglas Dirschl, the trial’s Principal Investigator.

“The treatment of the first patient in the FORTIFY trial is another key corporate milestone for BONESUPPORT.  This clinical trial in a complex trauma indication is designed to demonstrate proof-of-concept that CERAMENT G can be used to improve and protect the healing process in open bone fractures in combination with standard procedures, minimizing the risk of deep infections which would result in the need for additional remedial procedures,” added Richard Davies, CEO of BONESUPPORT. “We plan to use the clinical data to support our planned PMA filing for CERAMENT G in the US. We also intend to generate additional clinical data with CERAMENT G to gain a broad US label for this novel, injectable antibiotic-eluting bone graft substitute, which is rapidly being adopted in Europe.”

CERAMENT G combines the bone healing and bone remodeling properties of CERAMENT with the antibiotic, gentamicin. CERAMENT G drug-eluting properties enable it to provide an initial high concentration of gentamicin to the environment of the bone fracture and then a longer sustainable dose above the minimum inhibitory concentration of many of the bacteria that could cause a bone infection at the fracture site. This unique antibiotic-eluting profile helps protect the bone healing process and to promote bone remodeling.

CERAMENT G received the European CE Mark in February 2013 and is now marketed in 19 countries outside the US.