Ortho Industry Digs Beneath the Surface for Success
In the past month alone, orthopaedics companies have laid the grounds for future success. They’ve added jobs, engaged in acquisitions to solidify product lines, and many manufacturers have reported encouraging financial results.    Biomet announced a plan to add nearly 280 jobs to its Warsaw, IN headquarters over the next two years and is spending $26 million on site...
The Tightrope: Balancing Bias, Financial Ties, and Clinical Trials
The conflict-of-interest spotlight is once again shining on the orthopaedics industry. But this time the controversy surrounds spine doctors who are citing “biased and corrupted” research published by colleagues. The Spine Journal’s entire June issue is dedicated to reviewing clinical studies and research involving recombinant bone morphogenetic protein-2 (rhBMP-2), the...
Trimming the Fat: Generic Devices Ramp Up Competition
The orthopaedics industry has been waiting for a big innovation shift for years. Could generic devices be the answer? Maybe, but a move toward such implants isn’t without a strong opinion on both sides. The concept of generic devices has been around for a while, but this doesn’t mean that it’s an accepted idea—at least not yet. “From the industry side, we...
The Ethics of Collaboration for Manufacturers and Doctors
Once again, the media has stirred the pot on how device companies are paying doctors (and the fact that doctors are accepting compensation). This time, it’s the Wall Street Journal. The company in the line of fire is Medtronic, and the controversy is surrounding royalties related to spinal devices. The WSJ also names names, revealing five surgeons who have received more than $7...
At Least One Ortho Firm Still Under Scrutiny
FROM THE EDITORS In 2007, five orthopedics companies settled with the U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ) over allegations that they may have paid kickbacks to surgeons in return for favoring their hip and knee implants. Of those five companies—Biomet, Johnson & Johnson’s DePuy Orthopedics, Smith & Nephew, Stryker, and Zimmer—Stryker cooperated early and thus...