Grassley probes Zimmer
This article was originally published in The Gray Sheet
Executive Summary
In a July 29 1letter to Zimmer, Sen. Chuck Grassley, R-Iowa, asks the company about concerns raised by two of its consulting surgeons on the "premature failure" of Zimmer's NextGen CR-Flex knee and its Durom hip device. Grassley asks Zimmer to submit information by Aug. 12 about its processes for responding to product concerns raised by consultants or contractors. The senator also asks the company to spell out complaints that have been made since 2008 and to detail how they were handled. In response, Zimmer said in a statement that it "welcomes and seeks feedback from surgeons who use our products" and that its post-market surveillance program "includes vetting concerns from surgeons which may lead to investigations.