ZURICH, Switzerland, Feb. 2, 2006 (PRIMEZONE) -- Nobel Biocare notes with astonishment that a financial analyst today published a report based on the data of an unpublished study concerning NobelPerfect(r). The data apparently covers six patients with a total of 17 implants and, according to the analyst's report, purports to show that the observed bone loss was greater or equal to that of other implants.
Quite apart from the fact that the study covers a very small group of patients treated in one center, it strikes the company as odd that previously unpublished data should first and unofficially be made available to a financial analyst. In the company's ongoing multicenter prospective studies, no such findings have been identified.
Professor Lars Sennerby, who is currently testifying against Nobel Biocare in Sweden, is editor-in-chief of "Clinical Implant Dentistry and Related Research." According to the report, this journal will be publishing the results of the study in the course of the coming weeks. One Member of the Editorial Board is Professor Tomas Albrektsson, also a party in the recent controversy.
Nobel Biocare adheres to the statements it previously made. The company does not rule out the possibility that similar findings may be brought forward in the next few weeks. This does not, however, have any impact on the company's fundamental position. Nobel Biocare resolutely disputes these claims. As indicated in an independent expert report, there are a number of possible explanations for data clustering at particular centers, for example a greater incidence of systemic factors and surgical approaches. As Nobel Biocare has responded to recently raised allegations concerning bone loss, it had become apparent that handling issues, such as not following the instruction manual, provide at least one explanation for the problem reported.
Nobel Biocare is a medical devices group and the world leader in innovative esthetic dental solutions with its brands Branemark System(r), NobelSpeedy(tm), NobelReplace(tm), NobelPerfect(r), NobelDirect(r), Replace(r) Select, (dental implants) and Procera(r) (individualized dental prosthetics). Nobel Biocare is a one-stop shop for restorative esthetic dentistry, offering a wide range of innovative Crown & Bridge and Implant products, as well as training and education and clinically documented treatment concepts. Nobel Biocare has some 1,600 employees and recorded revenue of EUR 388 million in 2004. The company is domiciled in Zurich, Switzerland with headquarters in Zurich and in Gothenburg, Sweden. Production takes place at four production sites located in Sweden and the USA. Nobel Biocare has direct sales organizations in 29 countries. The shares of the parent company Nobel Biocare Holding AG are listed on the SWX Swiss Exchange and on the Stockholm Stock Exchange, Sweden. www.nobelbiocare.com.