ArthroCare Receives FDA Clearance for Spartan PEEK Suture Implant

ArthroCare Corp. (NASDAQ: ARTC) announced today that it has received clearance from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) for its Spartan PEEK Suture Implant system. Spartan is a preloaded PEEK threaded anchor indicated for use in fixation of soft tissue to bone, such as during a rotator cuff repair. Spartan complements ArthroCare's line of anchors which can be used with ArthroCare's suture passing technology, such as FirstPass. It has a unique 5.5mm, screw-in design which provides stronger pull-out strength, particularly in soft bone and can be used to perform single and double row repairs. Spartan is manufactured from PEEK, (polyether-etherketone) a material widely used in orthopedic implants, and will be used to reattach rotator cuff tendons to bone. More than 400,000 patients undergo rotator cuff surgery annually in the U.S.