Wright, Exactech under investigation
This article was originally published in The Gray Sheet
Executive Summary
Wright Medical and Exactech are the latest orthopedic device makers to find themselves under investigation by the Department of Justice, having separately announced receipt of subpoenas during the week of Dec. 10. DoJ is requesting documents from 1998 through the present related to consulting and professional service agreements between the companies and orthopedic surgeons implanting their artificial hips and knees. The announcement follows DoJ's September agreements with the top five orthopedic implant makers (Stryker, Zimmer, Biomet, Johnson & Johnson/DePuy and Smith & Nephew), including a total of $311 million in fines, to settle kickback charges related to the hip and knee sales between 2002 and 2006 (1"The Gray Sheet" Oct. 1, 2007, p. 3)