Email this page

St. Petersburg, Florida [July 29, 2009] – Smith & Nephew Inc (NYSE:SNN; LSE: SN) Advanced Wound Management division, announced the U.S. launch of ACTICOAT^◊ Flex 3 and ACTICOAT^◊ Flex 7 , to expand the ACTICOAT^◊ portfolio. ACTICOAT^◊ Flex products have been designed to support physicians dealing with wounds and injuries at high risk of infection. Utilizing the unique Silcryst® nanocrystalline silver technology of ACTICOAT^◊, the Flex line provides enhanced conformability on awkward anatomical areas such as face and hands and breakthrough stretch properties to improve patient comfort during wear. ACTICOAT Flex wound care products were recently cleared for market by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration.

Both ACTICOAT^◊ Flex 3 and ACTICOAT^◊ Flex 7 were cleared for use by Health Canada in late 2008. Dr. Sarvesh Logsetty, MD, FRCSC, FACS, Director of Manitoba Firefighters Burn Unit and Associate Professor, Plastic & General Surgery at the University of Manitoba commented on the product’s excellent performance characteristics. “ACTICOAT^◊ Flex is a natural addition to the brand of dressings I trust when treating patients with wounds highly susceptible to infection. These dressing are preferable when treating wounds in areas of the body that require a high level of conformability, and when it is important to minimize trauma to the wound when removing the dressing,” stated Dr. Logsetty. “The Flex dressing allows exudate to pass through, which is a great advantage,” he explained.

“Combining the flexibility of the polyester mesh substrate with the proven effectiveness of ACTICOAT’s^◊ nanocrystalline silver technology is an exciting and significant development External news for the ACTICOAT^◊ brand. The ACTICOAT^◊ Flex range of dressings are the result of listening to health care providers and understanding their needs when dealing with wounds in hard to dress areas, especially when risk of infection is high. The feedback from Canadian practitioners has been overwhelmingly positive, allowing them to successfully manage complex soft tissue injuries”, said Tom Dugan, President of North America Wound Management.

“We are delighted with ACTICOAT^◊ Flex wound products. It represents our commitment to the supply of credible solutions to address clinicians’ ongoing concerns.” Commented Roger Teasdale, President of Smith & Nephew Wound Management. “This product introduction is key to our focus on Infection Management, which along with Exudate Management and Negative Pressure Wound Therapy, comprise our three focused elements of the Wound Management strategy.

For more information regarding Smith & Nephew, please visit our Web site at http://www.smith-nephew.com/

Smith & Nephew is a global medical technology business, specializing 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.

Forward-Looking Statements
This press release contains certain "forward-looking statements" within the meaning of the US Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. In particular, statements regarding expected revenue growth and trading margins discussed under "Outlook" are forward-looking statements as are discussions of our product pipeline. These statements, as well as the phrases "aim", "plan", "intend", "anticipate", "well-placed", "believe", "estimate", "expect", "target", "consider" and similar expressions, are generally intended to identify forward-looking statements. Such forward-looking statements involve known and unknown risks, uncertainties and other important factors (including, but not limited to, the outcome of litigation, claims and regulatory approvals) that could cause the actual results, performance or achievements of Smith & Nephew, or industry results, to differ materially from any future results, performance or achievements expressed or implied by such forward-looking statements. Please refer to the documents that Smith & Nephew has filed with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission under the U.S. Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended, including Smith & Nephew's most recent annual report on Form 20F, for a discussion of certain of these factors.

All forward-looking statements in this press release are based on information available to Smith & Nephew as of the date hereof. All written or oral forward-looking statements External news attributable to Smith & Nephew or any person acting on behalf of Smith & Nephew are expressly qualified in their entirety by the foregoing. Smith & Nephew does not undertake any obligation to update or revise any forward-looking statement contained herein to reflect any change in Smith & Nephew's expectation with regard thereto or any change in events, conditions or circumstances on which any such statement is based.

^◊ Trademark of Smith & Nephew
® Trademark of Nucryst Pharmaceuticals