Australian Trade Commission
Portland Orthopaedics, established in 1991, has a Sydney-based research and manufacturing facility and a USA subsidiary with main offices in Atlanta, Georgia and Columbus, Ohio.
Portland Orthopaedics' CEO, David Sekel said the company's success in the US was in part due to peer-recognition for its lead product The DTCS Hip, a patented new generation hydroxyapatite coated hip replacement system design for primary, revision and tumour problems.
"High profile academic surgeons and hospitals in the US are turning to our product for its quality and technology. They use the hip system on some of the most difficult cases," Sekel said.
The number of hospitals using the system in the US has steadily increased since the DTCS Hip was first introduced there three years ago, with a 30 per cent growth in sales annually.
Sekel said Austrade had helped Portland Orthopaedics realise its dream to create a fully Australian high tech orthopaedic manufacturing and exporting company.
"We have shared a long-standing relationship with Austrade and appreciate their support and advice. Austrade recently hosted a networking function at the Embassy of Australia in Washington where many of our distributors attended as well as key orthopaedic surgeons in hip replacement," Sekel said.
"Austrade has given us excellent advice especially in regards to Japanese protocol."
The company's founder, Professor Ron Sekel is responsible for the research and development of the DTCS Hip and led a group that included the University of New South Wales, Lucas Heights Atomic Research Centre and the CSIRO to research and develop the area of core technology.
The company's second and third product range (the acetabular cup and knee replacement project) is under research and development with support from the Federal Government.
