Stryker Dumps Hip Resurfacing (written by Walter Eisner @ OTW)
Stryker Corp. is getting out of the hip resurfacing business.
The company said on July 13 that it had cut its distribution and marketing ties with U.K.-based Corin Group PLC, maker of the Cormet hip resurfacing system. Stuart Simpson, Stryker VP of global hip reconstruction marketing, said in a company statement: “Distribution of a hip resurfacing device no longer fits within Stryker’s long-term product strategy.”
Corin issued a statement saying the company will start a two-month transition to direct distribution. Corin CEO Peter Huntley said: “The integration of Cormet into our extended hip portfolio will put us in a stronger position to service the requirements of the very important US market.
Stryker began marketing Corin’s Cormet hip in the U.S. shortly after the FDA approved the device in 2007. American patients and surgeons finally had gotten an alternative to Smith & Nephew’s Birmingham hip resurfacing system since the FDA approved that device in May 2006.
Stryker had a 10-year distribution agreement with Corin covering sales of the device in the U.S. At the time of the original agreement with Corin, Stryker said that it hoped to have enough orthopedic surgeons complete the training program agreed upon with regulators to begin marketing the Cormet by the end of September 2007.
Metal-on-Metal
Neither companies’ statements explicitly cited concerns over metal-on-metal issues with the device, but Corin addresses the issue on the company’s web site.
“Over the last two years there has been much debate relating to the subject of adverse reactions to metal-on-metal wear debris (ARMD). The literature indicates that patient selection and component positioning influence the success of metal-on-metal articulations…. We believe that metal-on-metal hip resurfacing remains a safe and effective surgical intervention for well-indicated patients and Cormet continues to form an important part of our continuum of care in hip replacements.”
Stryker Ends Distribution Agreement With Corin PLC
Stryker Corporation’s Orthopaedics division has reached a mutual agreement with Corin PLC in which Corin will resume direct distribution of the Cormet Hip Resurfacing System. Stryker will no longer act as a distributor of the product.
“Distribution of a hip resurfacing device no longer fits within Stryker’s long-term product strategy,” said Stuart Simpson, Vice President, Global Hip Reconstruction Marketing, Stryker Orthopaedics. Stryker’s decision to withdraw from the hip resurfacing business on a global basis was based on business factors including changing market opportunities and changing ownership of the supplier that manufactures the MITCH product line, which is distributed in international markets.
Stryker is working with Corin to ensure a smooth transition and remains committed to developing new products and technologies to provide its customers with an array of choices to best treat the specific conditions of individual patients.