HULL, ENGLAND--(Marketwire - 09/02/09) - Smith & Nephew's (NYSE:SNN - News) (LSE:SN - News)

Advanced Wound Management division, announce the European launch of ACTICOAT(TM) Flex 3 and ACTICOAT(TM) Flex 7, to expand the ACTICOAT portfolio. The Flex range provides enhanced conformability to better address patient comfort and in utilizing the Silcryst(TM) nanocrystalline silver technology, ACTICOAT Flex products have been designed to support physicians dealing with soft tissue injuries at high risk of infection.

Both ACTICOAT Flex 3 and ACTICOAT Flex 7 were cleared for use by Health Canada in late 2008. Dr. Sarvesh Logsetty, MD, FRCSC, FACS, Director of Manitoba Firefighters Burn Unit and Associate Professor, Plastic & General Surgery at the University of Manitoba commented on the product's excellent performance characteristics. "ACTICOAT Flex is a natural addition to the brand of dressings I trust when treating patients with wounds highly susceptible to infection. These dressings are preferable when treating wounds in areas of the body that require a high level of conformability and when it is important to minimize trauma to the wound when removing the dressing," stated Dr. Logsetty. "The Flex dressing allows exudate to pass through, which is a great advantage," he explained.

"I am delighted that we can now offer our European clinicians this new version of ACTICOAT. ACTICOAT Flex will provide a more flexible and conformable option in dressing anatomical areas such as joints and helps manage the risk of infection in patients with serious wounds," said Andy Boyes, President Europe, Advanced Wound Management.

"The feedback on ACTICOAT Flex from the markets where it recently became available has been excellent," commented Roger Teasdale, President of Smith & Nephew Advanced Wound Management. "We are committed to improving the quality of life of the patients treated with our products and ACTICOAT Flex, often being used in combination with other brands in our portfolio, is affecting that."

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