Feds Want 11 Years Of Records for Wright Medical’s Profemur Metal Hip Implants
August 8th, 2012 tmccoy
According to Wright Medical’s latest earnings report, the company was recently served with a subpoena from the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Western District of Tennessee in connection with its line of metal hip implants.
The subpoenaed material encompasses the period of January 1, 2000 through August 2, 2012, and focuses on Wright’s Profemur metal hip systems. These systems include metal hip stems and total hip replacement systems.
It has been suggested that Wright may be negatively impacted by recent developments at Stryker, which recalled a competing hip implant device last month. Stryker’s recall and halt of global production was based on a recognition that the device(s) may be prone to “fretting and/or corrosion at or about the modular-neck junction . . . .” These failures may lead to pain, swelling and adverse tissue reactions at or near the site of implantation.
Wright itself acknowledged this reality to a degree, stating: “Although Stryker’s recalled modular hip stems differ in design and material from our Profemur modular neck hip stems, there is a risk that Stryker’s recall and the resultant publicity could negatively impact sales of modular neck systems of other manufacturers, including out Profemur system, even if the issues cited by Stryker are unique to Stryker products.
Wright is said to be gathering information in compliance with the demand.
