Wright Medical Group, Inc. Announces Launch of Next Generation CLAW® II Polyaxial Compression Plating System

New System Further Redefines Surgical Fixation Techniques for Reconstruction Procedures of the Foot

Wright Medical's CLAW(R) II Polyaxial Compression Plating System (Photo: Business Wire)

ARLINGTON, Tenn.--()--Wright Medical Group, Inc. (NASDAQ: WMGI), a global orthopaedic medical device company, today announced the full commercial launch of the CLAW® II Polyaxial Compression Plating System featuring ORTHOLOC™ 3DSi Polyaxial Locking Screw Technology. The system will be available this month in the U.S. through Wright Medical’s foot and ankle sales force, as well as in select countries outside the U.S. through Wright’s direct and distributor-based sales organization.

The CLAW® II system combines the stability and adjustable compression features of the Company’s patent-pending CLAW® plating system with enhanced surgical flexibility afforded by new shape configurations and polyaxial screw positioning.

“Since 2006, the CLAW® plating system has combined stable, rigid fixation with controlled joint compression, which are essential when performing fusions in the foot and ankle. The advancements offered with the new CLAW® II system, such as variable-angle locking screws and anatomically contoured plates for fusions and osteotomies of the forefoot and midfoot, will enable surgeons to chose the appropriate implants to meet the patient’s unique circumstances,” noted W. Hodges Davis, MD, a foot and ankle orthopedic surgeon with OrthoCarolina Foot and Ankle Institute in Charlotte, NC.

“The CLAW® II Polyaxial Compression Plating System builds upon our successful CHARLOTTE® CLAW® plating system and further expands our market leading foot and ankle product portfolio,” said Robert Palmisano, President and Chief Executive Officer of Wright Medical. “We are now able to offer foot and ankle surgeons expanded plate offerings for specific midfoot fusions that utilize our ORTHOLOC™ 3DSi polyaxial technology in a stainless steel compression plate.”

The CLAW® II Polyaxial Compression Plating system and other foot and ankle product solutions will be on display at Wright’s exhibit booth (#253) from February 29 to March 3 at the American College of Foot and Ankle Surgeons (ACFAS) 2012 Annual Meeting taking place at the Henry B. Gonzales Convention Center in San Antonio, TX.

More information on Wright Medical’s foot and ankle products, including CLAW® II Polyaxial Compression Plating System, can be found at www.wmt.com/footandankle/.

About Wright Medical

Wright Medical Group, Inc. is a global orthopaedic medical device company and a leading provider of surgical solutions for the foot and ankle market. The Company specializes in the design, manufacture and marketing of devices and biologic products for extremity, hip and knee repair and reconstruction. The Company has been in business for more than 60 years and markets its products in over 60 countries worldwide. For more information about Wright Medical, visit the Company’s website at www.wmt.com.

CAUTIONARY NOTE REGARDING FORWARD-LOOKING STATEMENTS

This press release contains "forward-looking statements" as defined under U.S. federal securities laws. These statements reflect management's current knowledge, assumptions, beliefs, estimates, and expectations and express management's current views of future performance, results, and trends and may be identified by their use of terms such as "anticipate," "believe," "could," "estimate," "expect," "intend," "may," "plan," "predict," "project," "will," and other similar terms. Forward-looking statements are subject to a number of risks and uncertainties that could cause our actual results to materially differ from those described in the forward-looking statements. Such risks and uncertainties include the impact of Wright's settlement of the federal investigation into Wright's consulting arrangements with orthopaedic surgeons relating to its hip and knee products in the United States, including Wright's compliance with a Deferred Prosecution Agreement through September 2012 and a Corporate Integrity Agreement through September 2015, and those risks and uncertainties discussed in our filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission (including those described in Item 1A of our Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2011, under the heading, "Risk Factors"). Readers should not place undue reliance on forward-looking statements. Such statements are made as of the date of this press release, and we undertake no obligation to update such statements after this date.

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Contacts

Wright Medical Group, Inc.
Investors & Media:
Julie D. Tracy, 901-290-5817
Sr. Vice President, Chief Communications Officer
julie.tracy@wmt.com

Contacts

Wright Medical Group, Inc.
Investors & Media:
Julie D. Tracy, 901-290-5817
Sr. Vice President, Chief Communications Officer
julie.tracy@wmt.com