Zimmer Biomet ‘cementless’ partial knee implant makes Indiana debut

The Zimmer Biomet Oxford Cementless Partial Knee System received FDA approval in 2024. (Photo provided by Zimmer Biomet)

Noblesville-based Indiana Orthopedic Institute is an early adopter of a “cementless” partial knee replacement system recently launched in the United States but has long been used in Europe and elsewhere.

Orthopedic surgeon Dr. Robert Malinzak recently performed the first partial knee replacement procedure in Indiana, at Ascension St. Vincent Fishers Hospital, using the Oxford Cementless Partial Knee system, manufactured by Warsaw, Indiana-based Zimmer Biomet.

The new procedure for partial knee replacement—instead of relying on bone cement, an adhesive that secures the implant—is designed for the bone to naturally grow around the implant. According to the Indiana Orthopedic Institute, the benefits of the cementless partial knee procedure include longer-lasting results, a reduced risk of the implant loosening and a faster recovery.

“It’s a bit more efficient or a quicker operation,” said Malinzak, who has performed around a dozen cementless procedures in Indiana using the Oxford Cementless Partial Knee System.

The Zimmer Biomet Oxford Cementless Partial Knee System received FDA approval in November, although the implant has been used in more than 300,000 procedures outside the United States over the past 20 years. In announcing the FDA approval, Zimmer Biomet said the Oxford Cementless partial knee implant had a “proven track record of retaining more healthy anatomy with a less invasive approach and improved outcomes.”

Malinzak said patients are good candidates for partial knee replacement when their arthritis is isolated to the inside medial knee, they have a functional anterior cruciate ligament, or ACL, and have cartilage on the outside of their knee in good condition.

“With the partial, it just feels more normal because you’re keeping your ACL, so it feels better, it feels more normal,” Malinzak said.

Warsaw-based Zimmer Biomet Holdings, a leading manufacturer of orthopedic products, noted in its first-quarter earnings report that “early enthusiasm from surgeons for our new Oxford Cementless Partial Knee” positioned the company for growth in the second half of 2025.

The cementless version could soon become more common across Indiana’s competitive orthopedics market. And the market is growing, Zimmer Biomet CEO Ivan Tornos said during a May 5 conference call with analysts.

“We have now passed 25% penetration with cementless knees in the U.S. and expect that trend to accelerate now that we have performed widespread customer and sales rep training and have ample supply to drive increased penetration,” Tornos said.