Smith & Nephew plc (LSE: SN, NYSE: SNN), the global medical technology business, announced today that its Orthopaedic Reconstruction business unit, an operating division of its U.S. subsidiary, Smith & Nephew, Inc., has reached a civil settlement agreement with the U.S. Attorney for the District of New Jersey (USDOJ) following an industry wide investigation. The orthopaedic reconstruction unit of Smith & Nephew and the four other major U.S. orthopaedic companies received subpoenas from the USDOJ in March 2005 requesting copies of all consulting contracts with surgeons. Since that time the USDOJ has conducted an industry wide investigation into the vital relationships between surgeons and the orthopaedic implant industry.
