Ceramisys to take on more staff as artificial bone demand grows

Ceramisys, based in Sheffield, makes ReproBone, used as a synthetic bone graft material.

It comes in block, granular or paste form and is used instead of, or to supplement, a patient’s own bone in orthopaedic or dental surgery.

It is already used in more than 50 countries, in every continent, and in the last month the company has taken on distributors in five new countries. Turnover is expected to exceed £1m this year.

Last year, Ceramisys moved to a new facility in Hillsborough, where it is carrying out new product research and is looking to take on more staff.

The company was founded in 2001 by Wayne Austin, a former Sheffield University chemistry graduate. Its first product gained regulatory approval in 2003, with the full product range now approved for use in most countries.

ReproBone is used to repair bone in surgical procedures, including non-healing fractures, defects caused by removal of bone tumours, revision hip replacements and deformities.

The material helps regenerate the bone and within a few months is broken down and replaced by new healthy bone.

Mr Austin said: “The main advantages of the ReproBone products are that patients don’t need to have a second operation site to collect bone to fill the defect, so it takes away the risk and trauma associated with that.

“From the surgeon’s point of view it is easy to use and available in unlimited quantities.

“It is really important to us to be held in high regard by surgeons and one of the barriers to growth we initially encountered was gaining confidence in the product from healthcare providers across the world.

“Being recognised by opinion leaders in the orthopaedic and dental fields is extremely important in order to compete with the big multi-nationals and increase our global market share.”