Osstem Implant ultimately failed to acquire ZimVie, the U.S. implant maker it had tried to buy two years ago. Instead, the two companies recently joined forces in a different way, signing a deal to exclusively distribute ZimVie's products in China.
The Acquisition Attempt That Fell Through Two Years Ago
According to Bloomberg, Osstem Implant submitted a final bid for ZimVie in July 2024 and had reportedly even secured financing. While negotiations had progressed significantly, the possibility remained open that another bidder could emerge. ZimVie is an implant company spun off from Zimmer Biomet in 2022, with operations in the United States, Switzerland, and China.
At the time, Osstem Implant was a company that private equity firm MBK Partners had taken private in 2023. The acquisition ultimately did not materialize, and in October 2025 ZimVie was sold to the European healthcare investment firm ARCHIMED for $19 per share in cash, ending its run on Nasdaq.
An Exclusive Deal to Distribute ZimVie Implants in China
Osstem Implant signed a distribution agreement with ZimVie on July 21, before the acquisition fell through, to exclusively supply ZimVie implants to dental clinics in China. Osstem Implant said the partnership would give dentists and patients more choices.
China's Volume-Based Procurement and Premium Demand
An earlier article on China's implant price cuts examined how China's volume-based procurement (VBP) system lowered the cost barrier for treatment, which in turn increased demand for premium brands, and how the Swiss company Straumann captured that demand to rise to the top spot. Osstem Implant's move to bring in ZimVie fits the same pattern. Unable to acquire the premium brand outright, the company instead used distribution as a workaround to place it on its own shelves.
The Impact on Korean Clinics
Because this deal targets dental clinics in China, there will be no immediate change for Korean clinics in terms of access to ZimVie implants or pricing. Still, since revenue from China has helped fund new product development and clinical education at home, this effort to protect Chinese sales could, in the long run, have an impact on clinics in Korea as well.