Zimmer Launches Arthritis 411, a Free Interactive Patient Education Application for the iPad

Published on Wednesday, 08 February 2012 16:36 Written by TradersHuddle Staff

App Offers Comprehensive Information For Knee and Hip Pain Sufferers

SAN FRANCISCO, Feb. 8, 2012 /PRNewswire/ -- Zimmer Holdings, Inc. (NYSE and SIX: ZMH), a global leader in musculoskeletal health, today announced the availability of a new patient education application designed for Apple's iPad tablet.  The application, Arthritis 411, will help patients learn more about arthritis pain and explore treatment options, including knee and hip replacement procedures.  Arthritis 411 is free and available now in the Apple iTunes store.

According to the World Health Organization, arthritis is a leading cause of disability, affecting an estimated 150 million people globally and more than 27 million Americans.  According to the American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons, there are more than 600,000 knee replacement procedures and 285,000 hip replacement procedures performed each year in the United States alone.  

"Because arthritis is a medical condition for which there is presently no cure, patients spend years or even decades searching for information about treatments to manage their pain," said Charlie Young, Vice President of Zimmer Corporate Marketing.  "Arthritis 411 from Zimmer is the first comprehensive, personalized and interactive solution for patients – and their medical professionals – to access constantly updated information to help navigate their treatment options."

The Arthritis 411 application from Zimmer addresses two critical unmet needs:

• For Patients, Arthritis 411 serves as an interactive, customizable way for patients to explore a variety of videos, images and information about joint pain and treatment options.
• For Medical Professionals, Arthritis 411 provides an unprecedented point of care tool to help primary care physicians explain the causes of joint pain and treatment options; and for surgeons to leverage simple animations and other interactive tools to help patients understand their diagnosis, x-ray images, and surgery and rehabilitation options. 

The Arthritis 411 application is a user-friendly and highly-customizable experience.  Patients simply enter the site of their pain (example: knee or hip), their age range, and their gender to view a comprehensive array of personalized multi-media content about:

• Arthritis and human anatomy
• Treatment options
• Testimonials from other patients who have undergone similar procedures
• Preparation and recovery strategies
• Other useful information about surgery planning and rehabilitation

The new Zimmer Arthritis 411 application was initially developed for the iPad tablet because the device supports a range of interactive functionality and is widely used in medical practices.  Industry analysts estimate that Apple sold more than 45 million iPad tablets in 2011.  Future versions of the Arthritis 411 application will be developed for smart phones and other mobile platforms.  The Arthritis 411 App is free and available for immediate download via the Apple iTunes Store online, at http://itunes.apple.com/us/app/zimmer-arthritis-411/id496317851?mt=8.

About Zimmer

Founded in 1927 and headquartered in Warsaw, Indiana, Zimmer designs, develops, manufactures and markets orthopaedic reconstructive, spinal and trauma devices, dental implants, and related surgical products.  Zimmer has operations in more than 25 countries around the world and sells products in more than 100 countries.  Zimmer's 2011 sales were approximately $4.5 billion.  The Company is supported by the efforts of more than 8,500 employees worldwide.  For more information about Zimmer, visit www.zimmer.com.

Zimmer Safe Harbor Statement

This press release contains forward-looking statements within the safe harbor provisions of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995 based on current expectations, estimates, forecasts and projections about the orthopaedics industry, management's beliefs and assumptions made by management.  Forward-looking statements may be identified by the use of forward-looking terms such as "may," "will," "expects," "believes," "anticipates," "plans," "estimates," "projects," "assumes," "guides," "targets," "forecasts," and "seeks" or the negative of such terms or other variations on such terms or comparable terminology.  These statements are not guarantees of future performance and involve risks, uncertainties and assumptions that could cause actual outcomes and results to differ materially.  For a list and description of such risks and uncertainties, see our periodic reports filed with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission.  We disclaim any intention or obligation to update or revise any forward-looking statements, whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise, except as may be set forth in our periodic reports.  Readers of this document are cautioned not to place undue reliance on these forward-looking statements, since, while we believe the assumptions on which the forward-looking statements are based are reasonable, there can be no assurance that these forward-looking statements will prove to be accurate.  This cautionary statement is applicable to all forward-looking statements contained in this document.

SOURCE Zimmer Holdings, Inc.