Synthes and Employees Indicted

On July 14th a Federal Grand Jury charged Synthes and four company executives for allegedly scheming to conduct clinical trials using a bone cement in vertebral compression fractures without the approval of the FDA.

The indictment charges that before the marketing program began the company knew from pilot studies that the bone cement (Norian XR) reacted chemically with human blood causing blood clots. Despite this, the company continued to market Norian XR for VCFx's and didn't stop until three patients died. Even after the third patient died, Synthes and Norian did not recall the product which would have resulted in an MDR.

Michael Huggins, Tom Higgins, Richard Bohner and John Walsh (not of America's Most Wanted Fame until now) were each charged with one misdemeanor count. So now we know why Mike Huggins was sent packing to Scient'x, who probably requested that he bow out gracefully after a brief cup of coffee with the Healthpoint Capital owned company. Higgins whom is a Wyss protege, use to run Boathouse (another Wyss owned company) before being given a promotion to Synthes, probably because of his Harvard background.

The most disturbing aspect of the indictment is that person No. 7 was Hansjoerg Wyss. As the Spine Blogger stated in earlier blogs, das Fuhrer is losing his faculties. Too much money, too much wine, too many women and high altitudes is causing this once respected man to be viewed as a renegade with no conscience when it comes to making money.