principles of collaboration

guiding principles for collaboration between DePuy and the medical community

Collaboration between DePuy and health care professionals is fundamental to advancing the treatment of spinal disorders. It is important that this collaboration be based on principles to ensure a relationship built on trust, respect and common goals. With this in mind, DePuy has developed these Principles of Collaboration to help guide our process.

patient safety is our first priority

DePuy believes that its first priority is to patient safety and public health. It guides all our actions and informs all our decisions. We collaborate and seek to collaborate with those who hold this same belief.

collaboration with surgeons is essential to developing innovative treatments and procedures that advance patient care

DePuy, working closely with surgeons and other health professionals and experts, has pioneered important advances and innovations that have helped millions of people. DePuy will continue these collaborations to develop the technologies of tomorrow that will transform diagnosis and treatment.

comprehensive planning and needs assessments are conducted to identify current and future needs for collaborations with health care professionals

DePuy goes through a thorough planning and needs assessment process to determine our clinical, educational, research and training requirements. This process helps to guide the funding for the year and the projects we initiate and support.

DePuy is committed to conducting its business in accordance with all applicable Health Care Compliance laws, regulations, industry standards, and Johnson & Johnson policies

The company has implemented a comprehensive Health Care Compliance program to promote adherence to applicable laws governing DePuy's interactions with the medical community. The company has adopted the OIG's "Seven Elements of an Effective Compliance Program," the AdvaMed Code of Ethics on Interactions with Health Care Professionals, as well as the guidelines of the Accreditation Council for Continuing Medical Education ("ACCME") which governs the execution of CME-accredited educational meetings. All employees, contractors, and independent sales professionals are required to abide by the DePuy Health Care Compliance policies. Questions about the company’s Health Care Compliance program may be directed to the Director of Health Care Compliance.

fair compensation is provided based on contributions and expertise

DePuy works with leading surgeons, institutions and surgical and medical societies in a variety of ways, including product development, professional education, sales representative training and product testing. For this work, DePuy provides remuneration or an honorarium that is consistent with fair market value which DePuy endeavors to objectively determine. In some cases, surgeons have contributed intellectual property to help develop implants and instrumentation for which they receive royalty payments on sales. The payment of royalties in consideration of intellectual property contributions is a well-established practice. However, it is our policy that royalties are not payable to a surgeon designer for his/her own purchases of the royalty-bearing products, nor for products purchased by colleagues at the same institution or surgical practice.

evidence-based medicine plays a critical role in the safe and appropriate use of medical technology, and surgeons are critical to gathering this data

DePuy supports the role of evidence-based medicine in the development of new technologies and in support of existing technologies. We fund FDA-regulated clinical trials aimed at developing safety and effectiveness data to support our FDA applications for new products. We fund research efforts proposed by clinicians seeking to develop data on our already-marketed products, and we fund long-term follow-up studies to confirm and monitor the performance of our products. DePuy relies on health care professionals to provide important information about the use of our products to regulatory bodies and to the company.

use of our products should primarily be based on clinical value followed by other considerations

Physicians’ decisions about the choice of products in patient care should first and foremost be based on its clinical value and safety followed by its cost effectiveness and economic value to the healthcare system, as well as other factors. We strive to also determine the cost effectiveness of our products by undertaking cost effectiveness and outcomes studies, as appropriate. We regularly support publication of our research in peer-reviewed journals and through presentations at scientific meetings.

we believe in open dialogue and ongoing evaluation

We are open to working with all stakeholders including medical societies, regulatory bodies, patient advocates and others to evaluate and determine the best ways to ensure collaboration that is in the best interest of the public health.

our mission - trust and respect

DePuy is committed to being the most trusted and respected medical devices company in the world. We do this with integrity, social and environmental responsibility, and respect for our customers and the patients they care for. We remain committed to innovation with purpose, world-class education, exceptional customer service, major investments in research and development and support of various charitable organizations. We will continue to collaborate with those who care most about advancing treatment technology and improving the lives of patients all over the world.