Zimmer Biomet wins three awards at Healthcare Asia Medtech Awards 2026

The awards spotlight the company’s leadership in smart recovery, surgeon engagement and infection-fighting orthopaedics.

Zimmer Biomet secured three category wins in the Healthcare Asia Medtech Awards 2026 that highlight recovery tools, patient awareness campaigns and implants for infection management. Zimmer Biomet won awards in the Digital Innovation of the Year - Australia, Marketing & Communications Initiative of the Year - Thailand, and Orthopaedic Product Innovation Award categories.

WalkAI powers the Digital Innovation of the Year - Australia win. This application uses artificial intelligence to predict 90-day gait speed after total knee replacement surgery. It analyses daily mobility data from a patient’s device between days 15 and 40 post-surgery. 

It also flags risks of sub-optimal recovery early, so surgeons intervene sooner. Over 180 surgeons in ANZ use WalkAI to monitor more than 20,000 patients. Research shows the model beats literature-based gait speed thresholds.

The Marketing & Communications Initiative of the Year - Thailand award stems from a campaign leveraging Zimmer Biomet’s partnership with Arnold Schwarzenegger as the company’s Chief Movement Officer. Launched in November 2024, the role shifts focus from medical outcomes to the benefits of human movement. The You’ll Be Back campaign debuted in Thailand at the Royal College of Orthopaedic Surgeons of Thailand (RCOST) Annual Conference in October 2025. Booth engagement rose threefold compared to the prior year. Surgeons connected with the message of discipline and mobility. Similar efforts in India doubled LinkedIn post engagement versus other content.

The Orthopaedic Product Innovation Award recognises Zimmer Biomet implants treated with Iodine Technology. These world-first total hip replacements, in the iTaperloc Complete and iG7 Hip System, inhibit bacterial adhesion, per 2017 and 2019 research by D. Inoue et al. ("Inhibition of biofilm formation on iodine-supported titanium implants" and "Iodine-supported titanium implants have good antimicrobial attachment effects"). 

Periprosthetic joint infection affects 1-2% of primary procedures and carries an 11% five-year mortality rate. Iodine, a biocompatible nutrient, prevents biofilm without antibiotic resistance , according to 2011 and 2023 research by T. Shirai et al. (“Antibacterial iodine-supported titanium implants” and “Iodine-supported implants in prevention and treatment of surgical site infections for compromised hosts: a prospective study”). Japan’s Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare was the first regulator globally to approve the implants, and the US FDA granted the device Breakthrough Device Designation in October 2025.

The Healthcare Asia Medtech Awards honours the most exemplary medtech companies across Asia. It serves as a platform for organisations to showcase their pioneering medical devices, life-saving software, or top-notch healthcare solutions, amongst other innovations.

The Healthcare Asia Medtech Awards is presented by Healthcare Asia Magazine. To view the full list of winners, click here. If you want to join the 2027 awards programme and be acclaimed for your organisation's initiatives and contribution to enhancing the industry's overall performance, please contact Julie Anne Nuñez-Difuntorum at [email protected].