As the largest business unit within the DePuy Franchise, DePuy Orthopaedics, Inc. began its story in 1895 when Revra DePuy founded DePuy Manufacturing in Warsaw, Indiana, and promised a novel fiber splint to replace the wooden barrel staves used to set fractures. Since then, DePuy Orthopaedics has carved out a rich history as the “first name in Orthopaedics.”
In its early years, DePuy Orthopaedics saw many changes in ownership and new relationships with other medical device and diagnostics companies. In 1998, the DePuy Franchise was acquired by Johnson & Johnson in a $3.7 billion transaction.
Today, DePuy Orthopaedics is a global leader in joint replacement products and is committed to Restoring the Joy of Motion™ for patients whose mobility is restricted by severe osteoarthritis or other debilitating injury. The 5,600 employees around the world design, manufacture and distribute orthopaedic devices and supplies including hip, knee, extremity, trauma, cement, orthobiologics, and operating room products.
Through the years, various company acquisitions and joint ventures have contributed to product innovation, materials and relationships with leading professionals in the orthopaedic world. For example, the purchase of Charles F. Thackray Limited in Leeds, England, a leading British manufacturer of total hip replacements, became the catalyst for a new standard in present day total hip arthroplasty. In 1950, Thackray was approached by a surgeon who required an instrument to assist in the fixation and treatment of femoral neck fractures. That surgeon was Sir John Charnley who, together with Thackray, established the gold standard of total hip replacement simply known as the Charnley Hip. The association of the two companies also helped to establish a new headquarters and manufacturing facility for DePuy in Leeds, England, which officially opened in 1992.
Ever focused on innovation, DePuy Orthopaedics has often been a pioneer in the introduction of new methods and products in the orthopaedics industry. In the late 1960’s, the company acquired the marketing rights to the Muller Total Hip, which changed the company’s image from that of a soft goods company mainly selling rib belts, collars, braces and some pins and wires, to a contender in the fledgling implant market. In the 1970’s, DePuy began offering the unrivaled method of metal sintering, using its patented Porocoat® Porous Coating. This three-dimensional, beaded coating allows tissue ingrowth, eliminating the need for bone cement. The invention of Porocoat Porous Coating led to the AML® Total Hip System, the first implant indicated for biological fixation introduced in the late 70’s. In 1977, DePuy Orthopaedics introduced the LCS® Total Knee System, a patented mobile-bearing knee system for total knee replacement.
In 1994, DePuy acquired ACE Medical Company, a manufacturer of orthopaedic trauma products and the number two supplier of trauma products in Japan. The purchase of ACE, a company with approximately $35 million in worldwide product sales in 1994, diversified DePuy’s position in the orthopaedic marketplace.
DePuy Orthopaedics continues to reshape the orthopaedic landscape with its innovative products such as Pinnacle® Hip Solutions with TrueGlide™ Technology, new additions to its portfolio of Sigma® Knee products, and Anatomic Locked Plating Systems (A.L.P.S.) in the area of Trauma care.
The Company has offered many other key product innovations such as the S-ROM® Total Hip System, Charnley® Hip, P.F.C® Sigma Total Knee System, Global™ Total Shoulder System, and Agility™ Total Ankle System among others, and continues to be dedicated to strong research and development initiatives.
Hip fractures and plating technologies within the trauma and extremities market have also represented an area of strong focus for DePuy Orthopaedics, Inc. In 2004, Troch Nail technology was launched which allows the device design to optimize the bone to implant interface. A focus on plating technologies led to the 2006 acquisition of Hand Innovations LLC, a privately held manufacturer of widely used fracture fixation products for the upper extremities. The acquisition provides DePuy Orthopaedics with leading technology in the plating business. Today, the Trauma and Extremities Group is poised to fuel future growth for DePuy Orthopaedics with one of the most comprehensive trauma and small-joint reconstructive product portfolios in the marketplace.
In 2004, DePuy introduced Computer-Assisted Surgery (CAS). In 2007, the company announced the launch of computer software designed to significantly enhance the field of computer-assisted knee replacement surgery. The Ci™ Essential Knee System is computer software that provides surgeons with a three-dimensional view of the knee joint to help accurately align implants during knee replacement surgery.
Today, DePuy Orthopaedics, Inc. is a global leader in joint reconstruction products, continues to drive transformational change in orthopaedic care and is committed to patients around the world.
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