FDA clears Biomet hip system

Biomet has received the FDA's OK to sell its Active Articulation E1 dual mobility hip system.

The company says it is the first hip system in the U.S. to merge the concept of dual mobility with the benefits of its exclusive E1 antioxidant-infused technology and a proven cup design.

"The Active Articulation Hip System provides an excellent combination of wear resistance and implant stability," said Jon Serbousek, President of Biomet's U.S. Orthopedics division, says in a statement. "We believe this new product will provide an important implant solution to orthopedic surgeons performing hip replacement surgery."

The Warsaw, IN-based company recently announced its quarterly earnings. It posted soft replacement-joint sales in its Q3 2011 report. And as MarketWatch points out, this could raise new questions about an orthopedics market, which has been hurt by the global economic uncertainty.  

In a conference call, Biomet's President and Chief Executive Officer Jeffrey Binder stated that Biomet endured a mix of market weakness and some company-specific issues, including product-launch delays, that likely contributed to its underperformance, MarketWatch reports.

- check out the Biomet release

ALSO: A new report produced by the Indiana Business Research Center at Indiana University says the orthopedic industry cluster in Kosciusko County, in north central Indiana, had a total economic impact of $3.7 billion in 2009. Report