Medical devicemaker Exactech agreed to pay $8 million to settle allegations that it knowingly marketed and sold defective components within its line of Optetrak total knee systems, which have been cited in lawsuits as causing thousands of patient injuries, KFF Health News reported Sept. 19.
The settlement involves two whistleblower lawsuits that accused the Gainesville, Fla.-based devicemaker of violating the False Claims Act. The lawsuits alleged Exactech knowingly billed government healthcare programs including Medicare for defective knee replacement components.
The company declared bankruptcy in October 2024, leaving thousands of patients with injuries from the alleged defect who had sued Exactech in limbo, according to the report.
Joseph Saunders, a lawyer in Florida representing patients suing the company, told KFF that over 2,500 patients are seeking compensation. Many have undergone operations to remove and replace the faulty knee implants, he said.
In 2023, the news outlet also found and reported 400 examples wherein Exactech reported adverse events to the government after two or more years of learning about them.
Exactech denied the allegations in court filings, according to the report.
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