Smith & Nephew’s Orthopaedics division announces the expiration of its Deferred Prosecution Agreement (DPA) with the US Attorney’s Office (USAO) for the district of New Jersey. The 18-month agreement was one of five similar agreements entered into on September 27, 2007, between the USAO and the five largest companies that manufacture and sell hip and knee replacement implants. Additionally, the USAO has dismissed the complaint it filed in connection with the DPA.
During the term of the DPA, Smith & Nephew Orthopaedics operated under the oversight of a USAO-appointed monitor and worked to improve the ways in which it manages its relationships with healthcare providers.
Smith & Nephew will continue its compliance with the corporate integrity agreement signed with the Department of Health and Human Services, which has run concurrently with the DPA and will remain in effect until September 2012. Similar agreements were signed by most of the other DPA companies.
“We are pleased to have successfully collaborated with the USAO and our monitor during these last 18 months to create a more robust compliance program,” said Joseph DeVivo, president of Smith & Nephew Orthopaedics. “Our substantial investment in and commitment to this program will help us continue our work as the leading innovator in orthopaedic technology for active, informed patients.”