Global MedTech company Smith+Nephew has announced the acquisition of Integrity Orthopaedics, a US‑based early‑stage commercial developer of Tendon Seam, an innovative rotator cuff repair (RCR) system designed to significantly reduce re‑tear rates and improve patient outcomes.
The acquisition represents a meaningful step in delivering Smith+Nephew’s RISE strategy to accelerate growth through strategic investment and portfolio leadership, and will be an important building block in our ambition to become the global leader in Sports Medicine.
RCR is a substantial and growing treatment area, with approximately 500,000 procedures performed annually in the US and an estimated market value of 875 million USD. Yet traditional surgical techniques have historically suffered from high structural failure rates, averaging 20–40% according to the company.
Smith+Nephew says that Tendon Seam addresses this unmet clinical need. Its patented micro‑anchors, continuous suture, individually locked stitches, and integrated implantation instrument are designed to deliver stronger repairs, accelerated patient recovery, lower re‑tear rates, and a simplified surgical technique.
Early clinical experience indicates low re‑tear rates, reduced sling times and shorter procedures compared with standard methods, according to Integrity Orthopaedics. The system received 510(k) clearance in 2023 and is indicated for reattachment of soft tissue to bone, including tendons, ligaments, and joint capsules.
Integrity Orthopaedics was founded in 2020 and is headquartered in Maple Plain, MN, US. Its founders include Tom Westling, co-founder of Rotation Medical, the developer of the REGENETEN Bioinductive Implant, which was acquired by Smith+Nephew in 2017.
Scott Schaffner, President Sports Medicine, Smith+Nephew said: “Smith+Nephew now has an unrivalled portfolio for shoulder, including a powerful next‑generation rotator cuff repair platform to complement market-leading biological augmentation, the newest shoulder arthroplasty system, and proven solutions across shoulder instability. We welcome the Integrity team, including those involved with our prior successful acquisition of Rotation Medical, and look forward to working together again to offer customers and their patients this exciting technology.”
Tom Westling, Chief Executive Officer of Integrity Orthopaedics said: “Integrity Orthopaedics was founded to change the paradigm of rotator cuff repair to improve the lives of patients and surgeons. We are excited by Tendon Seam’s early results which indicate reduced pain, shorter sling times, and low retear/failure rates. Tendon Seam’s promising performance combined with Smith+Nephew’s track record launching innovative products, which I experienced firsthand with REGENETEN, give me confidence we will together change the standard of care in soft tissue repair.”
Ryan Majkrzak, President at Integrity Orthopaedics said: “Smith+Nephew is the ideal partner to accelerate the launch of Tendon Seam and enable this novel technology to best serve surgeons and patients worldwide. We are thrilled to be joining the Smith+Nephew team and its impressive portfolio of shoulder repair solutions.”
Tendon Seam enhances Smith+Nephew’s extensive shoulder repair offering, which spans technologies for both replacement and repair. Together, the company says these technologies provide surgeons with one of the broadest and most advanced portfolios for managing shoulder pathology, spanning biological enhancement, mechanical repair, and replacement.
Under the terms of the transaction, Smith+Nephew will acquire Integrity Orthopaedics for an initial cash payment of 225 million USD plus additional performance-based payments of up to 225 million USD over the next five years. The transaction is expected to be accretive to Group trading profit margin by 2028.
The acquisition will be financed from Smith+Nephew’s existing cash facilities and the Group remains below its leverage target of 2x EBITDA.
The transaction is expected to close before the end of January 2026.
