Zimmer Seems Unfazed By Knee Problems

Although several lawsuits against them are currently being evaluated by personal injury lawyers, billion-dollar company Zimmer Holdings does not seem to be showing too much damage from allegations that their knee replacement systems are fallible and manufactured poorly. The company, which is the fourth largest orthopedic and spine device manufacturer in the world, is based in Warsaw, Indiana and reported profits of $4.2 billion in 2010 despite reports of failure associated with one of their popular products.
DePuy Orthopedics, Stryker, and Medtronic companies are all ahead of Zimmer in revenue. Each of these United States-based companies is facing its own set of public relations issues having to do with the effectiveness of or complications related to some of their products, much like Zimmer.


Zimmer knee problems first came to light in 2009 when a consultant for the company reported witnessing high failure rates associated with the device. Knee implant revision surgery, a painful and complicated procedure intended to fix the problem, was necessary in many cases, and patients were forced to undergo pain and rehabilitation associated with the second knee surgery. The knee replacement system that seems to cause the most problems is the Zimmer NexGen CR-Flex, which is a component that can be affixed to a patient’s femur without the use of cement.

The consultant, Dr. Richard A. Berger, presented these findings in a study discussed at the 2010 meeting of the American Academy of Orthopedic Surgeons, where Dr. Berger recommended that, despite the continuing availability of the device, it should not be used for patients due to the risks associated with it.
Law firms across the country immediately latched onto this assertion, leading Zimmer to file suit against two law firms in Michigan and Florida respectively that they believed were making defamatory and false statements about the company and their products to the public.