From legal battles to new leaders, here are nine orthopedic moves and stories that affected the industry in 2023.
Medicine and treatment
Glucagon-like peptide 1 receptor agonists are growing in popularity nationwide, with prescriptions for Ozempic and similar drugs quadrupling in less than three years. John Prunskis, MD, CEO and medical director of the Illinois Pain & Spine Institute in Elgin, told Becker's in December the drug could have a "bearish effect" on the spine and orthopedic industry.
Leadership moves
Albany, N.Y.-based OrthoNY added David Fitzgerald as its new CEO in December.
Charlotte, N.C.-based OrthoCarolina announced Leo Spector, MD, as its new CEO in October.
Recalls
Elutia recalled its viable bone matrix products in July after two patients were infected with Mycobacterium tuberculosis following surgeries, with the voluntary recall stemming from infections from a single donor lot.
The FDA issued a Class I recall of Abbott Medical's implantable Abbott Proclaim neurostimulation systems in September. The technology was designed to deliver low-intensity electrical impulses to nerve structures for spinal cord stimulation.
Legal battles
A federal jury in December ruled in favor of orthopedic surgeon John Abraham, MD, who alleged Thomas Jefferson University conducted a gender-biased investigation against him.
In November, a federal judge reduced a $111 million jury award in a malpractice verdict against Sartell, Minn.-based St. Cloud Orthopedic Associates to $10 million.
A man who sued an orthopedic surgeon and Stamford (Conn.) Hospital over a lack of proper care and monitoring after treatment for a broken leg was awarded a $2.5 million verdict by the jury in October.
Other news
Benjamin Mauck, MD, an orthopedic surgeon at Campbell Clinic's Collierville, Tenn., office was fatally shot by a patient in July.