Lawsuit alleges kickbacks paid to Pittsburgh-area doctors

Monroeville, PA-based medical supply company Intermedics-McCullough has filed suit against six medical device companies, alleging they made kickback payments to several Pittsburgh-area doctors to gain a competitive edge. In the suit, the owners of Intermedics-McCullough say the companies blocked them out of the market with inferior and more costly products by offering kickbacks "for the purpose of gaining exclusive access to the lucrative replacement hip, knee and joint industry and to the orthopedic industry in general." In addition to the six companies, more than two dozen physicians also are mentioned in the suit, with a listing of payments allegedly made to them by the defendants. The payments ranged from less than $100 to more than $8 million.