A Murdoch-based regenerative medicine company is shipping another 200 nerve repair products to assist injured Ukrainians with the backing of big Perth funders.
ASX-listed Orthocell’s Remplir device is a breakthrough collagen-based nerve wrap designed to facilitate the surgical repair of peripheral nerve injuries and has been used to treat Ukrainian soldiers since April 2025.
With funding from Australian businesses, another 100 devices are in transit, according to an ASX statement released on Tuesday.
The Perth-based backers include Wyllie Group, Nicola and Andrew Forrest's Minderoo Foundation and stockbrokers Argonaut Securities, alongside Sydney-headquartered law firm Gilbert + Tobin, medtech company Device Technologies Australia, Canaccord Genuity Australia, and Bell Potter.
Orthocell is also donating a further 100 devices, with Australian charity Ukraine Crisis Appeal pledging $10,000 to support the shipment.
In the statement, Orthocell told the market the additional shipment would support the treatment of complex battlefield and civilian trauma injuries.
More than 400,000 Ukrainians, the statement read, have been delt trauma-related injuries during the conflict.
Business News revealed earlier this year Remplir devices had been used in 23 surgical procedures in war-torn Ukraine since the first shipment.
Orthocell chief executive and managing director Paul Anderson said the expanded humanitarian aid was driven by positive feedback from surgeons in the Eastern European country.
“Feedback from surgeons about the clinical utility of Remplir in practice has been extremely positive,” he said.
“Remplir devices have already been used in the treatment of several severe trauma injuries sustained during the ongoing conflict in Ukraine, including peripheral nerve injuries associated with amputations, blast trauma and nerve crush injuries.”
Mr Anderson said Orthocell and the Ukraine Crisis Appeal would also be supporting surgical training.
“In addition to supporting ongoing humanitarian aid, in partnership with the Ukraine Crisis Appeal, Orthocell is supporting peer-to-peer training between leading surgeons across international borders,” he said.
“This was anchored by a recent Nerve Symposium event in Sydney Australia to advance knowledge-sharing in reconstructive surgery, peripheral nerve repair and trauma management.”
Since gaining regulatory approval in Australia in 2022, Remplir gained global attention for its ability to reduce the need for damaging sutures in complex procedures ranging from trauma reconstruction to robotic prostate surgeries.
The use of Remplir in Ukraine gave rise to a deal between Orthocell and the US in April.
At the time, Orthocell told the market it had secured approval for Remplir to be used across 221 US military hospitals and 115 general hospitals.
In the same month, the Perth company also completed its first commercial sales of Remplir in Canada.
Orthocell told the market it was continuing with a distributor-led commercialisation program across key non-US markets, including Canada, Hong Kong, Singapore, New Zealand and Australia.
It valued internal resources on the US market at US$1.6 billion.
The expansion of Remplir into the European and UK market is expected to be approved in the second half of this year.
