Bonescrew

U&I Corporation’s K-MET, the world’s first metallic screw for osteosynthesis.
U&I Corporation’s K-MET, the world’s first metallic screw for osteosynthesis.

 

The world’s first metallic screw for medical purposes that fixes broken bones and is dissolved into the human body over time won its approval in Korea.

The Ministry of Food and Drug Safety announced on April 21 that it approved of U&I Corporation’s K-MET, which is the world’s first metallic screw for osteosynthesis, or fixing a broken bone, and then dissolving by itself in the human body. The U&I Corporation is a Korean company that manufactures medical instruments.

At present, screws for osteosynthesis have to be removed through an additional operation after the bone pieces reattach to each other. However, the K-MET gradually disappears in the human body over a couple of years, because its main components are those elements constituting human bones such as magnesium and calcium. In addition, the K-MET causes few side effects and inflammation in the body, and reinforces the bones by becoming a bone-constituting element when dissolved.

The K-MET’s mechanical strength surpasses that of polymer-based products dissolving in the human body. Therefore, it is expected to be capable of successfully competing in the global market. As of last year, the size of the market of bone-fixing medical appliances amounted to 34.4 billion won (US$31.8 million) in Korea and US$2 billion worldwide.

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