Accessibility Statement Skip Navigation
  • Resources
  • Blog
  • Journalists
  • +44 (0)20 7454 5110
  • Client Login
  • Send a Release
Return to PR Newswire homepage
  • News
  • Products
  • Contact
When typing in this field, a list of search results will appear and be automatically updated as you type.

Searching for your content...

No results found. Please change your search terms and try again.
  • News in Focus
      • Browse News Releases

      • All Public Company News
      • All Multimedia News
      • View All News Releases

      • Regulatory News

      • D/A/CH Regulatory News
      • UK Regulatory News
      • View All Regulatory News

  • Business & Money
      • Auto & Transportation

      • Aerospace & Defense
      • Air Freight
      • Airlines & Aviation
      • Automotive
      • Maritime & Shipbuilding
      • Railroads & Intermodal Transportation
      • Supply Chain/Logistics
      • Transportation, Trucking & Railroad
      • Travel
      • Trucking & Road Transportation
      • View All Auto & Transportation

      • Business Technology

      • Blockchain
      • Broadcast Tech
      • Computer & Electronics
      • Computer Hardware
      • Computer Software
      • Data Analytics
      • Electronic Commerce
      • Electronic Components
      • Electronic Design Automation
      • Financial Technology
      • High Tech Security
      • Internet Technology
      • Nanotechnology
      • Networks
      • Peripherals
      • Semiconductors
      • View All Business Technology

      • Entertain­ment & Media

      • Advertising
      • Art
      • Books
      • Entertainment
      • Film & Motion Picture
      • Magazines
      • Music
      • Publishing & Information Services
      • Radio & Podcast
      • Television
      • View All Entertain­ment & Media

      • Financial Services & Investing

      • Accounting News & Issues
      • Acquisitions, Mergers & Takeovers
      • Banking & Financial Services
      • Bankruptcy
      • Bond & Stock Ratings
      • Conference Call Announcements
      • Contracts
      • Cryptocurrency
      • Dividends
      • Earnings
      • Earnings Forecasts & Projections
      • Financing Agreements
      • Insurance
      • Investments Opinions
      • Joint Ventures
      • Mutual Funds
      • Private Placement
      • Real Estate
      • Restructuring & Recapitalisation
      • Sales Reports
      • Shareholder Activism
      • Shareholder Meetings
      • Stock Offering
      • Stock Split
      • Venture Capital
      • View All Financial Services & Investing

      • General Business

      • Awards
      • Commercial Real Estate
      • Corporate Expansion
      • Earnings
      • Environmental, Social and Governance (ESG)
      • Human Resource & Workforce Management
      • Licensing
      • New Products & Services
      • Obituaries
      • Outsourcing Businesses
      • Overseas Real Estate (non-US)
      • Personnel Announcements
      • Real Estate Transactions
      • Residential Real Estate
      • Small Business Services
      • Socially Responsible Investing
      • Surveys, Polls & Research
      • Trade Show News
      • View All General Business

  • Science & Tech
      • Consumer Technology

      • Artificial Intelligence
      • Blockchain
      • Cloud Computing/Internet of Things
      • Computer Electronics
      • Computer Hardware
      • Computer Software
      • Consumer Electronics
      • Cryptocurrency
      • Data Analytics
      • Electronic Commerce
      • Electronic Gaming
      • Financial Technology
      • Mobile Entertainment
      • Multimedia & Internet
      • Peripherals
      • Social Media
      • STEM (Science, Tech, Engineering, Math)
      • Supply Chain/Logistics
      • Wireless Communications
      • View All Consumer Technology

      • Energy & Natural Resources

      • Alternative Energies
      • Chemical
      • Electrical Utilities
      • Gas
      • General Manufacturing
      • Mining
      • Mining & Metals
      • Oil & Energy
      • Oil & Gas Discoveries
      • Utilities
      • Water Utilities
      • View All Energy & Natural Resources

      • Environ­ment

      • Conservation & Recycling
      • Environmental Issues
      • Environmental Policy
      • Environmental Products & Services
      • Green Technology
      • Natural Disasters
      • View All Environ­ment

      • Heavy Industry & Manufacturing

      • Aerospace & Defence
      • Agriculture
      • Chemical
      • Construction & Building
      • General Manufacturing
      • HVAC (Heating, Ventilation & Air-Conditioning)
      • Machinery
      • Machine Tools, Metalworking & Metallurgy
      • Mining
      • Mining & Metals
      • Paper, Forest Products & Containers
      • Precious Metals
      • Textiles
      • Tobacco
      • View All Heavy Industry & Manufacturing

      • Telecomm­unications

      • Carriers & Services
      • Mobile Entertainment
      • Networks
      • Peripherals
      • Telecommunications Equipment
      • Telecommunications Industry
      • VoIP (Voice over Internet Protocol)
      • Wireless Communications
      • View All Telecomm­unications

  • Lifestyle & Health
      • Consumer Products & Retail

      • Animals & Pets
      • Beers, Wines & Spirits
      • Beverages
      • Bridal Services
      • Cannabis
      • Cosmetics & Personal Care
      • Fashion
      • Food & Beverages
      • Furniture & Furnishings
      • Home Improvement
      • Household, Consumer & Cosmetics
      • Household Products
      • Jewellery
      • Non-Alcoholic Beverages
      • Office Products
      • Organic Food
      • Product Recalls
      • Restaurants
      • Retail
      • Supermarkets
      • Toys
      • View All Consumer Products & Retail

      • Entertain­ment & Media

      • Advertising
      • Art
      • Books
      • Entertainment
      • Film & Motion Picture
      • Magazines
      • Music
      • Publishing & Information Services
      • Radio & Podcast
      • Television
      • View All Entertain­ment & Media

      • Health

      • Biometrics
      • Biotechnology
      • Clinical Trials & Medical Discoveries
      • Dentistry
      • FDA Approval
      • Fitness/Wellness
      • Health Care & Hospitals
      • Health Insurance
      • Infection Control
      • International Medical Approval
      • Medical Equipment
      • Medical Pharmaceuticals
      • Mental Health
      • Pharmaceuticals
      • Supplementary Medicine
      • View All Health

      • Sports

      • General Sports
      • Outdoors, Camping & Hiking
      • Sporting Events
      • Sports Equipment & Accessories
      • View All Sports

      • Travel

      • Amusement Parks & Tourist Attractions
      • Gambling & Casinos
      • Hotels & Resorts
      • Leisure & Tourism
      • Outdoors, Camping & Hiking
      • Passenger Aviation
      • Travel Industry
      • View All Travel

  • Policy & Public Interest
      • Policy & Public Interest

      • Animal Welfare
      • Corporate Social Responsibility
      • Economic News, Trends & Analysis
      • Education
      • Environmental
      • European Government
      • Labour & Union
      • Natural Disasters
      • Not For Profit
      • Public Safety
      • View All Policy & Public Interest

  • People & Culture
      • People & Culture

      • Aboriginal, First Nations & Native American
      • African American
      • Asian American
      • Children
      • Diversity, Equity & Inclusion
      • Hispanic
      • Lesbian, Gay & Bisexual
      • Men's Interest
      • People with Disabilities
      • Religion
      • Senior Citizens
      • Veterans
      • Women
      • View All People & Culture

  • Overview
  • Distribution
  • Paid Placement
  • Multimedia
  • Disclosure Services
  • SocialBoost
  • Rooms
    • MediaRoom
    • ESG Rooms
  • AI Tools
  • General Enquiries
  • Media Enquiries
  • Partnerships
  • Hamburger menu
  • Cision PR Newswire UK provides press release distribution, targeting, monitoring, and marketing services
  • Send a Release
    • Phone

    • +44 (0)20 7454 5110 from 8 AM - 5:30 PM GMT

    • ALL CONTACT INFO
    • Contact Us

      +44 (0)20 7454 5110
      from 8 AM - 5:30 PM GMT

  • Client Login
  • Send a Release
  • Resources
  • Blog
  • Journalists
  • News in Focus
    • Browse News Releases
    • Regulatory News
  • Business & Money
    • Auto & Transportation
    • Business Technology
    • Entertain­ment & Media
    • Financial Services & Investing
    • General Business
  • Science & Tech
    • Consumer Technology
    • Energy & Natural Resources
    • Environ­ment
    • Heavy Industry & Manufacturing
    • Telecomm­unications
  • Lifestyle & Health
    • Consumer Products & Retail
    • Entertain­ment & Media
    • Health
    • Sports
    • Travel
  • Policy & Public Interest
    • Policy & Public Interest
  • People & Culture
    • People & Culture
  • Client Login
  • Send a Release
  • Resources
  • Blog
  • Journalists
  • Overview
  • Distribution
  • Paid Placement
  • Multimedia
  • Disclosure Services
  • Cision Communications Cloud®
  • AI Tools
  • Client Login
  • Send a Release
  • Resources
  • Blog
  • Journalists
  • General Enquiries
  • Media Enquiries
  • Partnerships
  • Client Login
  • Send a Release
  • Resources
  • Blog
  • Journalists

Askel Healthcare has reached an important milestone towards marketing authorization of the COPLA® implant in EU and the USA


News provided by

Askel Healthcare Oy

23 Mar, 2023, 07:31 GMT

Share this article

Share toX

Share this article

Share toX

Finnish medical technology company Askel Healthcare is developing a new method to treat knee cartilage defects. Askel Healthcare's COPLA® implant is expected to significantly accelerate rehabilitation and enable healing of damaged knee cartilage. From the beginning of January, COPLA® implant is available for selected patients as part of a clinical trial. Three Finnish and one Estonian hospital are participating in the trial. The company is aiming to commercialize the product in the United States and EU by 2028.

HELSINKI, Finland, March 23, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- Knee pain is very common. It is estimated that every fourth 40-year-old person suffers from knee pain. The most common cause of knee pain is osteoarthritis, which is typically caused by untreated knee cartilage damage. Cartilage does not have the capacity to repair itself and so far, there is no treatment available that enables fast rehabilitation and that can reliably repair the damaged joint surface. Globally the number of patients suffering from knee osteoarthritis is over 650 million, and the number has doubled in the last 30 years.

Since 2017, Askel Healthcare has been developing a biodegradable implant for surgical treatment of cartilage damage in the knee. In the clinical trial that started in the beginning of 2023, patients with knee cartilage defects are for the first time treated with Askel's COPLA® implant. Askel's goal is to commercialize the implant in the US and EU by 2028 and prior to that gain the needed regulatory approvals, i.e., the CE-mark in EU and clearance by the United States Food and Drug Administration (FDA).
 
The COPLA® implant enables immediate full weight-bearing after surgery, which is expected to accelerate the rehabilitation process and enable cartilage healing. The ongoing clinical trial evaluates the effectiveness and safety of the implant. Three Finnish and one Estonian hospital are participating in the study. The participating hospitals are Mehiläinen, Terveystalo, Hospital Nova of Central Finland, and Tartu University Hospital in Estonia. The Swedish Sahlgrenska University Hospital in Mölndal is also involved in planning and analyzing the results.

"We want to significantly simplify and speed up the rehabilitation of patients with knee cartilage defects and help them return to a pain free and active life. I am very pleased to see how well the COPLA® implant has been received by both orthopedic surgeons and patients. The journey from idea to a commercial product for a highest risk class medical device, such as COPLA®, is long. Reaching this clinical phase is also an very important milestone for our financing and it impacts our next funding round taking place in the spring. For the first time we are able to help people suffering from knee pain – this has been our main goal from the very beginning," said Virpi Muhonen, PhD, Founder and CEO of Askel Healthcare. Muhonen is one of the inventors of the COPLA® implant, whose scientific career in the crosstalk of cell biology and orthopedics led to the development of the implant and founding of Askel.

"The history of cartilage repair comprises from many chapters. Recently one of the most common methods have been the Autologous Matrix-Induced Chondrogenesis (AMIC) where a collagen membrane is glued onto the damaged area in combination with microfracturing. The COPLA® implant is in principle used similarly. The benefit of the COPLA® implant compared to other existing products is in its structure, which makes it possible to apply several layers of implants and then put immediate full weight on the treated joint. This speeds up patient recovery following the treatment. I look forward to the findings of these clinical trials," said Mikko Kirjavainen, MD, an orthopedic and traumatology surgeon at Sports Mehiläinen.

"The cartilage damage and related knee pain made my favorite hobbies, basketball and running, impossible. I hope that the cartilage implant allows me to get back to activities that involve running and jumping. The cartilage implant surgery went as planned, and the rehabilitation is off to a great start. My goal is to get back to the basketball court in the upcoming fall," said Aki Salo, who is one of the patients participating in the trial and who had a knee surgery in February 2023 at Mehiläinen.

Additional information:

Askel Healthcare, CEO Virpi Muhonen
Tel. +358 40 489 3840

Mehiläinen Plc, MD Mikko Kirjavainen, orthopedic and traumatology surgeon, Chief Physician at sports Mehiläinen
Tel. +358 40 077 0699

About Askel Healthcare

Askel Healthcare is a Finnish medical technology company set to transform surgical knee cartilage treatment and recovery. Our mission is to keep people in motion through our universal COPLA® implant, which is a ground-breaking innovation for the repair of knee cartilage defects.

About Mehiläinen Group

Mehiläinen Group is a well-known and highly valued private provider of social and healthcare services, offering comprehensive high-quality services in Finland and internationally. 113-year-old Mehiläinen is a rapidly developing and growing leader in the industry. Mezilamines invests in the possibilities of digitalisation and the effectiveness and quality of care in all its business areas.

Mehiläinen serves 2.1 million customers annually, and services are produced at over 820 locations by more than 33,000 employees and private practitioners. Internationally, Mehiläinen provides healthcare services in Sweden, Germany, and Estonia, as well as digital healthcare software solutions through its subsidiary BeeHealthy.

The following files are available for download:

https://mb.cision.com/Main/22234/3737183/1927744.pdf

Press release (PDF)

https://news.cision.com/askel-healthcare-oy/i/product,c3157844

Product

https://news.cision.com/askel-healthcare-oy/i/founders-of-the-company,c3157845

Founders of the company

https://news.cision.com/askel-healthcare-oy/i/lifestyle-image,c3157846

Lifestyle image

Modal title

Also from this source

Askel Healthcare to Present First Clinical Trial Results of Its COPLA® Knee Cartilage Implant at the 9th Joint Preservation Congress in Warsaw, Poland on June 14-15, 2024

Askel Healthcare, a Finnish medical technology company pioneering the treatment and repair of focal knee cartilage defects, will present results from ...

More Releases From This Source

Explore

Health Care & Hospitals

Health Care & Hospitals

Medical Pharmaceuticals

Medical Pharmaceuticals

Biotechnology

Biotechnology

Pharmaceuticals

Pharmaceuticals

News Releases in Similar Topics

Contact PR Newswire

  • +44 (0)20 7454 5110
    from 8 AM - 5:30 PM GMT
  • General Enquiries
  • Media Enquiries
  • Partnerships

Products

  • Content Distribution
  • Multimedia Services
  • Disclosure Services
  • Cision Communications Cloud®

About

  • About PR Newswire
  • About Cision
  • Partnering Opportunities
  • Careers
  • APAC
  • APAC - Simplified Chinese
  • APAC - Traditional Chinese
  • Brazil
  • Canada
  • Czech
  • Denmark
  • Finland
  • France
  • Germany
  • India
  • Indonesia
  • Israel
  • Japan
  • Korea
  • Mexico
  • Middle East
  • Middle East - Arabic
  • Netherlands
  • Norway
  • Poland
  • Portugal
  • Russia
  • Slovakia
  • Spain
  • Sweden
  • United States
  • Vietnam

My Services

  • All News Releases
  • Customer Portal
  • Resources
  • Blog
  • Journalists
  • Data Privacy

Do not sell or share my personal information:

  • Submit via Privacy@cision.com 
  • Call Privacy toll-free: 877-297-8921

Contact PR Newswire

Products

About

My Services
  • All News Releases
  • Customer Portal
  • Resources
  • Blog
  • Journalists
+44 (0)20 7454 5110
from 8 AM - 5:30 PM GMT
  • Terms of Use
  • Privacy Policy
  • Information Security Policy
  • Site Map
  • RSS
  • Cookie Settings
Copyright © 2025 PR Newswire Europe Limited. All Rights Reserved. A Cision company.