Wright Medical Group, Inc. Announces FDA Approval for AUGMENT(R) Bone Graft

Wright Medical Group, Inc.

today announced that its BioMimetic subsidiary has received an approval order from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) for its Premarket Approval Application (PMA) for AUGMENT® Bone Graft. The approval order indicates that FDA determined that AUGMENT® Bone Graft is safe and effective as an alternative to autograft for ankle and/or hindfoot fusion indications. Wright can now initiate commercial sale and distribution of AUGMENT® Bone Graft in the U.S. A document accompanying this release is available at: http://www.globenewswire.com/NewsRoom/AttachmentNg/6a4c564e-1325-4eaa-adbc-bd097f23fe47 Robert Palmisano, president and chief executive officer, stated, "The FDA approval of AUGMENT marks a capstone achievement that demonstrates the strength of our science and provides a breakthrough therapeutic option as an alternative to autograft in ankle and hindfoot fusion procedures. We will begin commercial sale and distribution of AUGMENT in the U.S. and believe this product, as well as the PDGF technology platform, will be important drivers of the long-term growth of our business for years to come." The Company continues to anticipate AUGMENT® revenue in the U.S. to be in the range of $10 million to $12 million in the first seven to eight months post-approval. The revenue ramp is expected to build gradually during the first six months following the launch of the product as launch activities, such as review by hospital value analysis committees and physician education, are initiated. The company expects to begin selling product in the U.S. in the next several weeks once inventory is moved into its U.S. distribution network. Palmisano continued, "This approval also underscores the significant effort and perseverance from our clinical trial investigators and Wright's clinical, regulatory and legal teams to bring the product to market. This success can be attributed to everyone involved in the clinical trial, especially the study investigators and coordinators; our R&D, regulatory and clinical teams; our partners and suppliers; and most importantly, the patients who participated in the landmark prospective, randomized study comparing AUGMENT Bone Graft to autograft." Dr. Christopher DiGiovanni, lead U.S. investigator for the AUGMENT® Bone Graft North American pivotal trial and Chief of the Foot and Ankle Service in the Department of Orthopaedic Surgery at Massachusetts General Hospital, Harvard Medical School, said, "The FDA approval of AUGMENT provides a valuable new therapeutic healing option as an alternative to autograft in ankle and/or hindfoot fusion procedures, which is especially important since the outcomes of these interventions can at times be complicated by delayed union or non-union. This approval is based on strong clinical data showing that AUGMENT offers clear patient benefit by enabling a healing rate and safety profile equivalent to autogenous bone graft--while simultaneously avoiding the additional surgery required to harvest autograft bone graft tissue that can result in site-specific complications and/or prolonged harvest site pain in some patients." AUGMENT® Bone Graft is the first clinically proven protein therapeutic to come to the U.S. orthopaedics market in over a decade, offering an alternative to autograft in ankle and/or hindfoot fusion procedures, which translates into an estimated market opportunity of approximately $300 million in the U.S. The combination of two components, recombinant human Platelet-Derived Growth Factor (rhPDGF) and Beta-tricalcium phosphate (Beta-TCP), is key to the product's activities. rhPDGF provides a biological stimulus for the recruitment and proliferation of cells, including osteoblasts, which are responsible for the formation of bone, while Beta-TCP provides a framework or scaffold for new bone growth to occur. As an FDA-approved alternative to autograft in ankle and/or hindfoot fusion procedures, AUGMENT® offers a clear patient benefit by avoiding secondary surgical sites for the harvest of autograft tissue, which can result in prolonged harvest site pain in some patients. An investor presentation is available on Wright's website at www.wmt.com in the investor relations section. Internet Posting of Information Wright routinely posts information that may be important to investors in the "Investor Relations" section of its website at www.wmt.com. Wright encourages investors and potential investors to consult its website regularly for important information.