Bio Ceramics for affordable health care

Bio Ceramics for affordable health care

Kolkata, 2013: World’s population is ageing and millions of people receive implants to maintain their quality of life as the age. Problem is the need for materials with appropriate properties that will survive as long as the patient is using them.

Applications of Bio Ceramics include replacement for hips, knees, teeth, tendons ligaments and repair for periodontics disease, maxillofacial reconstruction, augmentation and stabilization of jaw bone including placement of implants, sinus lifting, bone repair after tumor surgery and this goes on and on.

Advantages of Bio Ceramics over conventional implants were recognized in the developed countries inasmuch as both awareness and use thereof is much more unlike in developing countries. One of the reasons could be that for various reasons Bio Ceramic Products were beyond the reach of common people at large because of exorbitant prices of such materials imported and made available. Awareness about Bio Ceramic Products is also limited to select few medical professionals who have had exposure in the developed countries.

In India, Council of Scientific & Industrial Research constituent laboratory Central Glass & Ceramic Research Institute first recognized the importance of Bio Ceramic Products and way back in early 90s Bio Ceramic and Coating Division was set up by CGCRI under the leadership of Late Dr Debabrata Basu. Dr Basu is considered to be a pioneer both in India and abroad for development of Bio Ceramic products and has been instrumental in developing know-how for manufacture of several products some of them being (a) Alumina Ceramic Hip Joint Head, (b) Calcium Phosphate (Hydroxyapatite) Orbital Implant, (c) Synthetic Bone Graft Substitutes and Bio Glass, (d) Bio Active Coating for metallic implant. Products manufactured to all these know-how developed by CGCRI are now available in the market and as a result, Indian public now have access thereto at affordable prices. Over the years importance of Bio Ceramics has also been recognized by several research organizations like Sree Chitra Tirunal Institute for Medical Sciences and Technology, Trivandrum (An institute of National Importance under DST, Govt. of India) and CSIR- National Metallurgical Laboratory, Jamshedpur and these laboratories have also developed/developing technologies for products with an objective to provide affordable health care products to public at large.

It is ironical that indigenously manufactured products although are used at several private multi-speciality hospitals, in government/government sponsored hospitals use thereof is negligible despite government laboratories developing them after spending millions of rupees and to this extent benefit thereof is being denied to people who need them most.

Eminent speakers participating in the Press Conference shared their views and knowledge.

According to Dr Santanu Mitra, Senior Ophthalmologist of Disha Eye Hospital, Barrackpore, he together with Prof. Ranabir Mukherjee of Eye Care and Research Centre, Kolkata has been involved in development of Synthetic Hydroxyapatite Orbital Implant of CGCRI and has implanted such developed product on more than 300 patients successfully. Similarly Dr Abhijit Chakraborty, Assistant Prof., Department of Periodontics of Gurunanak Dental College, Sodepur said that he has been involved in development of Calcium Phosphate Bone Grafts by CGCRI. Said products available both in granules and pre-forms are being used at his college regularly.

According to German Journal, Ceramic Application of April, 2013, “Ceramtech announced a new record of producing over one million “Biolox” ceramic components for hip replacement in 2012. Ceramtech has set the goal of producing 9 million Biolox advanced ceramic component for hip replacement” Aforesaid statement testifies superiority of and confidence in alumina ceramic head over conventional metal head.

It therefore appears that both awareness, use and demand of Bio Ceramics is going to increase exponentially in developing countries like India not only for the reason that they are more advantageous than conventional implants but for the reason that in the long term treatment cost involved is substantially lower. This would a big boon to the patients at large as the health care cost will come down which is otherwise found to be ever increasing.

About:

IFGL Bio Ceramics Ltd, one of the Companies of S K Bajoria Group is focused on Bio Ceramic Products for health segment. World's population is ageing and millions of people receive implants to maintain their quality of life as they age. Problem is the need for materials with appropriate properties that will survive as long as the patient is using them. Primary use of inorganic bio-materials is repair, replacement or augmentation of diseased or damaged parts of the skeletal system such as bones and joints.

Ceramics used for the repair and reconstruction of diseased or damaged parts of the musculo-skeletal system, are termed as bio ceramics and have properties like resorbable (e.g. tricalcium phosphate), bioactive (e.g. hydroxyapatite) and porous bioceramics for tissue in-growth. Applications include replacements for hips, knees, teeth, tendons and ligaments and repair for periodontal disease, maxillofacial reconstruction, augmentation and stabilization of jaw bone, spinal fusion and bone repair after tumor surgery.