Now an orthopedic patient does not have to stay for long in a surgical theatre and post-surgical wards. The patient also does not have to carry on with the heavy Plaster of Paris mould for months together. New devices have brought down by half the recuperating time for an orthopedic patient.

Akkineni Procare, a Hyderabad-based company that specialises in medical implants, has brought to the market certain innovative products, totally revolutionising the healthcare services, particularly in orthopedics. The group belongs to the family of Akkineni Nageswara Rao, the doyen of the Telugu film industry. The company is distributing Biobon, a synthetic product used for filling or reconstruction of bone defects, and Septocoll, an antibiotic implant, developed by Biomet-Merck, which has its headquarters in The Netherlands. The two products were launched in Hyderabad by Akkineni's actor son Nagarjuna and his wife Amla.

According to Ravi Mandava, CEO of Akkineni Procare, the two are not off-the-shelf products, but are distributed on demand under an exclusive distribution agreement with the European company. Biobon is used for effective bone engineering and Septocoll for optimal wound healing.

Normally, healthcare products take a long time to come to India after their introduction in the west. But in this case, the two products landed in India within a couple of months of their launch in the west.

Ravi Mandava said Akkineni Procare was set up only three months ago and was concentrating on medical implants, especially hip and shoulder implants. The two products came as a shot in the arm for the new company.

Akkineni Procare acts not only as a distributor for the products but also as a service provider. According to Sunil Paul, General Manager, "We have trained personnel and whenever we get a call from a doctor for a surgery, our person goes with the kit and will be available to the doctor in the theatre." He was confident of the efficacy of the products and said, "The products speak for themselves."

Besides Andhra Pradesh, the products are being launched in Tamil Nadu and Delhi on a statewise basis. The European company was also negotiating with distributors in Mumbai, Ahmedabad, Bangalore and other places, according to Ravi.

The company also distributes Seprafilm, an absorbable adhesion barrier developed by Genzyme Corpn, USA.