ReGen Biologics Launching Menaflex™ Collagen Meniscus Implant At American Academy Of Orthopaedic Surgeons

Main Category: Bones / Orthopaedics
Article Date: 14 Jan 2009 - 0:00 PST

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ReGen Biologics (OTC: RGBO) ("ReGen") announced that the official U.S. product launch of its Menaflex™ collagen scaffold device will take place at the American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons ("AAOS") annual meeting February 25-28 in Las Vegas, Nevada. The Menaflex™ device received FDA clearance in mid-December 2008.

ReGen plans to highlight the Menaflex device at the AAOS in its booth in the technical exhibit hall with product demonstrations and informational activities. For more information about the AAOS annual meeting, visit http://www.aaos.org.

Jeff Chandler has been employed as ReGen's Senior Vice President, Sales and Marketing and he will lead the launch. Chandler is an experienced sales and marketing executive with over twenty years experience in orthopedics and sports medicine, including positions with Zimmer and Conmed Linvatec. Most recently, he was the western regional sales executive with Smith & Nephew Endoscopy.

Gerald E. Bisbee, Jr., Ph.D., ReGen's Chairman and CEO commented, "We are delighted that Jeff has joined the ReGen management team. He has an excellent perspective on the opportunity for this 'first of its kind' meniscus product and the leadership required for it to become an important option in the standard of care for meniscus treatment."

ReGen places a high priority on training and education of surgeons, to provide initial and follow-up training on the Menaflex surgical procedure and appropriate indications for the use of the device in the treatment of meniscus injuries. The first session for U.S. surgeon trainers is taking place in Innsbruck, Austria January 12-13, 2009, where surgeons have been performing the Menaflex surgery for several years. Two prominent European sports medicine surgeons are leading the two-day training session.

The company is building a network of independent sales agents to work with surgeons in the U.S. The sales agents will play a key role in coordinating surgeon training and developing relationships through the product introduction. ReGen is coordinating a regional product roll-out in partnership with the sales agents, accompanied by multiple training events in Europe and the U.S.

To support product adoption in the U.S., the company has developed a comprehensive reimbursement program, including educational packets for payers and a hotline number to answer questions from practitioners.

A U.S. consumer education website will be added to http://www.menaflex.com to provide information to consumers and prospective patients. The product web site is knowledge-based and is designed for those who desire to research new products and procedures on their own to supplement interaction with their surgeon.

Additional product information is available on the corporate website at http://www.regenbio.com, including an updated investor presentation that provides more detail on launch activities, market potential, and surgeon training opportunities. The presentation is located at http://www.regenbio.com/usa/en/investor-relations-kit.php.

About ReGen Biologics, Inc.

ReGen Biologics is an orthopedic products company that develops, manufactures and markets innovative tissue growth and repair products for U.S. and global markets. ReGen's first approved product using its collagen scaffold technology is the Menaflex™ collagen meniscus implant. Visit http://www.regenbio.com and http://www.menaflex.com for more information.

This press release contains forward-looking statements within the meaning of the Safe Harbor Provisions of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. Such statements are based on the current expectations and beliefs of ReGen management and are subject to a number of factors and uncertainties that could cause actual results to differ materially from those described in the forward-looking statements, including those discussed in the Risk Factors section of ReGen's 2007 annual report on Form 10-K, its most recently issued quarterly report filed on Form 10-Q and additional filings with the SEC. ReGen's filings with the SEC are available to the public at the Company's website at http://www.regenbio.com, from commercial document-retrieval services and at the website maintained by the SEC at http://www.sec.gov.

ReGen Biologics, Inc.