Smith & Nephew Completes Acquisition of the Assets of Nucryst Pharmaceuticals Corp.

HULL, England and FT. SASKATCHEWAN, Canada, Dec. 22 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- The Advanced Wound Management division of Smith & Nephew plc SN, announced today that its affiliates have completed the acquisition of substantially all of the assets of Nucryst Pharmaceuticals Corp. ("Nucryst") (Nasdaq: NCST; TSX: NCS). The acquisition includes the manufacturing assets from Nucryst's Fort Saskatchewan, Canada operations and the intellectual property estate.

Since 2001, Smith & Nephew has held exclusive license for the sale of the ACTICOAT(TM) dressing portfolio, manufactured at the Ft. Saskatchewan site. This acquisition gives Advanced Wound Management full control over all the intellectual property rights, manufacturing and assets relating to the nanocrystalline silver technology that is incorporated in ACTICOAT, which is the second largest brand in the Smith & Nephew Advanced Wound Management product portfolio.

"The ACTICOAT dressings are the only products on the market using the proprietary antimicrobial nanocrystalline silver technology known as SILCRYST(TM). Acquiring this technology and the manufacturing capabilities behind it underlines our commitment to bring clinicians and patients the most advanced solutions for their wound care needs," said Roger Teasdale, President, Advanced Wound Management.

    Enquiries

    Investors
    Liz Hewitt                                       Tel: +44 (0) 20 7401 7646
    Smith & Nephew
    Group Director Corporate Affairs

    Phil Cowdy                                       Tel: +44 (0) 20 7401 7646
    Smith & Nephew
    Director - Investor Relations

    Other Inquiries
    Roger Teasdale                                   Tel: +44 (0) 14 8267 3905
    President, Advanced Wound Management

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    Jon Coles                                        Tel: +44 (0) 20 7404 5959
    Brunswick - London

    Katie Cralle                                     Tel: +1 (212) 333 3810
    Brunswick - New York

About Us

Smith & Nephew is a global medical technology business, specialising in Orthopaedics, including Reconstruction, Trauma and Clinical Therapies; Endoscopy and Advanced Wound Management. Smith & Nephew is a global leader in arthroscopy and advanced wound management and is one of the leading global orthopaedics companies.

Smith & Nephew is dedicated to helping improve people's lives. The Company prides itself on the strength of its relationships with its surgeons and professional healthcare customers, with whom its name is synonymous with high standards of performance, innovation and trust. The Company operates in 32 countries around the world. Annual sales in 2008 were nearly $3.8 billion.

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SOURCE Smith & Nephew plc