Zimmer Inc. Could Suffer Loss of Hip Replacement Sales After Japan Disaster

Tokyo, JapanThe earthquake and subsequent tsunami in Japan could have a consequential effect on medical device makers in the US such as Zimmer Inc., Reuters reports.

span itemprop="image" itemscope itemtype="https://schema.org/ImageObject" style="display:block">According to the news provider, these medical device manufacturers could experience delayed shipments and approvals for new products as a result of the disaster.

Some device makers that have significant sales numbers in Japan include Boston Scientific Corp., St. Jude Medical Inc. and Zimmer Holdings Inc., which has nine percent of its total sales in the country, the news source said.

"We would expect greatest disruptions to the more elective surgical procedures as hospitals in the affected areas focus on critical care in the coming days," Bernstein analyst Derrick Sung told the news source. "We would expect hip, knee and ICD implants for primary prevention to be more affected."

Warsaw, Indiana-based Zimmer Inc., which was established during the first half of the 20th century, has been the subject of a number of lawsuits related to its hip replacement systems due to allegations of defects in the product.