Evonik Aims to Prolong Joint Prosthesis Life with Vestakeep PEEK Biomaterial

Evonik is advancing the use of its high‑performance polymer Vestakeep PEEK—already a proven implant material in veterinary medicine—into complex human joint prosthesis systems. By collaborating with the world‑renowned Harris Orthopaedics Laboratory at Massachusetts General Hospital, the specialty chemicals company is positioning Vestakeep as a key component that could dramatically extend the service life of hip and knee replacements, reduce the need for revision surgeries, and lower long‑term pain management costs.

In the veterinary arena, Evonik’s PEEK biomaterial powers KYON’s next‑generation hip prostheses for dogs and cats. The design incorporates a friction partner made of Vestakeep PEEK with a carbon‑fiber‑reinforced PEEK ring between the ceramic head and cup. Unpublished studies show a seven‑fold reduction in linear wear compared to conventional material pairings.

To date, KYON has successfully performed roughly 6,000 hip replacements with no inlay‑wear revisions, a record documented over five years. These outcomes, including use in high‑performance agility dogs, underscore the material’s durability and set the stage for translating this expertise to human implants.

Joint prostheses endure significant mechanical loads and friction. Evonik’s Medical Device Competence Center in Birmingham, Alabama, is dissecting the weakest points of existing human joint systems and exploring how Vestakeep PEEK’s tribological properties can address them.

“We’re evaluating Vestakeep for human joint implants to enhance patient quality of life,” said Marc Knebel, head of Evonik’s medical systems segment. “Our experience shows that PEEK can be integrated modularly into current technologies, offering a potential four‑fold increase in prosthesis longevity.”

While contemporary prostheses perform well in terms of availability and reliability, the inlay—the interface between the prosthetic head and cup—remains a critical failure point. Evonik believes that its tribologically optimized PEEK could dramatically extend the lifespan of hip implants, sparing millions of patients from prolonged pain‑relief regimens and the risks associated with late‑stage revision surgeries.

“Regulatory approval hinges on demonstrable patient benefit,” Knebel added. “By partnering with Massachusetts General Hospital, we test our material’s wear characteristics in state‑of‑the‑art laboratories and gather data that propels us toward the next development milestones.”

Orhun K. Muratoglu, PhD, director of the Harris Orthopaedics Laboratory and Technology Implementation Research Center at MGH, noted, “Our in‑vitro wear testing shows that the UHMWPE‑PEEK pair performs on par with or better than the gold‑standard UHMWPE‑CoCr pair for hip and knee implants.”

These collaborations bring Evonik’s veterinary‑grade expertise into the human medical device arena, with the potential to transform joint replacement outcomes worldwide.