JRI Orthopaedics cements partnership with pioneering surgeons

4th August 2016

A hip replacement system designed by four pioneering Sheffield surgeons has been acquired by multi-award winning healthcare company JRI Orthopaedics.

Professor Ian Stockley, Andrew Hamer, Robert Kerry and Simon Buckley formed Sheffield Medical Products Ltd (SMPL) eight years ago to bring to market a new total hip replacement system. -There are very good cemented implants on the market, said orthopaedic surgeon Andrew Hamer, who is based at the Northern General Hospital. -However, we felt we could improve on the best design by making it more user-friendly, with much more streamlined instrumentation, more cost-effective and compatible with the widest range of hip sockets. After securing European CE quality and safety accreditation, the first patients received their new AEON hips in September 2011 and over the last five years around 700 patients largely in Sheffield have received the implant. AEON became the first hip replacement system to go beyond standard regulatory requirements by entering the Beyond Compliance scheme, ensuring close post-market follow-up. It has now been awarded the coveted 3A* ODEP rating. During this process SMPL have partnered with JRI Orthopaedics, who have world-class expertise in the design, development and manufacture of orthopaedic implants and surgical instruments. JRI Orthopaedics, which has a state-of-the-art manufacturing facility at Chapeltown, has been the exclusive distributor of the AEON hip system and, over the last 18 months, has also been sub-contract manufacturing some of the instruments and implants. The multi award-winning company has also worked in partnership with SMPL on enhancements to the instrumentation and extensions to the product range, based on post-market surveillance feedback. Mr Hamer added: -With most competitor implants you have two or three boxes of kit but we have a single tray of very simple, high quality instruments that have been designed from the surgeon's perspective to make them as simple to use as possible.