Vaughan Leiberum/Wikimedia Commons
If you’ve got a bad hip and live in the hinterlands of England, well, that stiff upper lip might come in handy. Researchers from the UK and Canada have found that access across England to total joint replacement (TJR) of the hip or knee is uneven…women, elderly people, and those in deprived areas continue to be worse off.
Wikimedia Commons
Who will control one of the oldest suppliers of allograft products in U.S. medicine? Apparently Medtronic. Just as a dissident group of shareholders was about to force a decision about Osteotech’s future and control, Medtronic arrives like a white knight, pays 65% premium, and takes the company. Why?
Image created by RRY Publications/Source: Wikimedia, FDA
The FDA’s 510(k) clearance program has been 99.78% successful in keeping unsafe products from reaching the public. On August 3, the agency released 70 recommendations to retool the program. If the program works, why does it need an overhaul? Read the first of our three-part series.
Orthofix's North American Operations and Education Center, Lewisville, Texas/Orthofix
For Orthofix, turning 30 is definitely cause for celebration. The device company is enjoying great profits, a new state-of-the-art facility and the release of fresh products. Sometimes getting older can be a good thing.
Image source: morgueFile.com
With orthopedic wait times longer than in other specialties, and the fact that a dissatisfied patient is less likely to refer you, it is important that the issue of wait times be addressed creatively.
Stem Cell/Creative Commons
Media buzz is swirling around Dr. Thomas Einhorn for his successes with adult stem cells. What's the fuss all about and what does it mean for the future of biologics…and device manufacturers for that matter?
Amsterdam Canal / Image source: morgueFile.com
Every couple years these European scientists call a meeting to compare BMP and stem cell studies for the spine. Last meeting was 2007 in Leipzig. Their work is qualitatively quite different from the U.S. meetings. Now they are meeting again. In three weeks. In Amsterdam. You should go.
Wikimedia Commons
CMS’s Coverage Advisory Committee will meet on September 22 to consider and vote on the on- and off-label evidence for paying for BMPs. Read what Steve Phurrough, M.D., the former coverage director at CMS, predicts will happen.
Regenerative Medicine: Re-Growing Body Parts
MAKOplasty Robotic Knee Surgery
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