United Orthopedic Corporation is a leading global designer, manufacturer and distributor of orthopedic implants and instrument sets. Founded in 1993 in Taiwan, the company established a growing presence in Europe, Asia and South America, expanding to the US in 2006 with its first export and launching adedicated US-based operation in 2012. Calvin Lin, president of US operations, is charged with leading those efforts and accelerating growth. Headquartered in Orange County, Calif., the company is actively expanding its salesforce, recruiting, marketing, clinical support and customer service departments.
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Question: How has United Orthopedic Corporation evolved over the past 5 years?
Calvin Lin: In the last five years the company has successfully launched several product lines, including its primary hip system – UTF, reduced stem and U-Motion II+ Acetabular Systems. Additionally, we launched two post-market multi-site studies to evaluate the short and long term clinical performance of our knee
and hip systems. Both studies will evaluate 200 patients over a five-year period.
Since entering the US market in 2006, United Orthopedic Corporation successfully established its brand while launching a solid customer base with US surgeons and hospitals. Increasingly, United Orthopedic Corporation is becoming more widely recognizable to healthcare systems and surgeons who are ultimately
choosing our products to treat patients.
Q: While specializing in hip and knee implants, are there other areas of care the company plans to expand into?
CL: United Orthopedic Corporation has significant expertise in the hip and knee replacement markets. Our full primary/revision hip and knee systems are widely available in all US markets, and in early 2019, we are looking to launch our oncology system for patients suffering from hip and knee tumors and severe
bone loss.
We are also actively engaged in the spinal implant market. Last year, we successfully acquired A-Spine, a spine company based in Taiwan. Our first step will be to launch in the rapidly growing Chinese market followed by a US launch once the value proposition has been established.
Q: How has the increasing demand of total joint procedures affected business?
CL: It’s clear the demand for total joint procedures is increasing at a rate of 3 percent to 5 percent every year, especially among baby boomers. At United Orthopedic Corporation, we have observed a higher percentage of patients in US choosing to go through the surgeries compared to some Asian markets. We
believe this is due to easier access to healthcare information in US coupled by the fact Americans maintain a more active lifestyle and don’t want to be limited by joint pain. Additionally, our research has shown there are more knee procedures performed in US.
Last year alone, thanks to our vertically integrated manufacturing model and expansion plan, we grew by more than 33 percent worldwide, which is evenly distributed across Asia, Europe and America.
Q: What can patients and providers expect from United Orthopedic Corporation in 2018?
CL: Dislocation is one of the most common causes of failure after primary and revision total hip replacement. In order to address this issue, we are launching a new line of hip implants in the second quarter this year that allow surgeons to use larger femoral heads during surgeries, reducing the risk of dislocation. The
new acetabular cup is an extension of our U-Motion II+ Acetabular System and surgeons will be able to use a 36-millimeter femoral head in a 50-millimeter acetabular cup. The new cup is compatible with our metal and ceramic femoral heads.
To meet the increasing demand for rapid recovery surgeries, we have developed a bone-preserving United Tri-Tapered Short Stem for primary hip replacements. UTS Stem is designed for easier insertion through small incisions and is ideal for using a more direct anterior approach surgical technique. The new short
stem implants will be available in 28 sizes in a triple taper design coated with Titanium Plasma Spray, featuring standard and high offset options.
The advancement of pain management and anesthesia has also made rapid recovery more achievable during inpatient or outpatient surgeries especially for select patient demographic groups. However, the delivery system in the operating room hasn’t really been improved that much. Typically, surgeons performing a
primary knee replacement use an average of six to nine trays of instruments, which reduces surgery efficiency, particularly in outpatient surgical centers. At United Orthopedic Corporation, we have dedicated a significant amount of resources over the past four years to improving efficiency in the operating room. In
early 2017, we launched a fully redesigned U2 Knee System instrumentation, which has successfully reduced the total number of surgical trays to 1.5 accompanied with disposable trials. This decreases the training and preparation time for the surgical technician, the potential risk of infection and the cost of tray
sterilization.
In 2018, we’ll see United Orthopedic Corporation’s continued success in achieving the best possible outcomes for both customers and patients.