Off the Market: The Percentage of Products Available After Ten Years

BACKGROUND: We observed that medical devices advertised in journals are often no longer available 5 to 10 years after first being advertised. In this study, we quantified the percentage of products advertised from 2003 to 2008 in the Journal of Bone and Joint Surgery, American, which were still available 5 to 10 years after first being advertised. METHODS: We created a database of 427 unique orthopaedic products advertised in the Journal of Bone and Joint Surgery. In 2013, we classified products into categories: available in advertised form, available in modified form, available under a different manufacturer, and available but temporarily recalled, discontinued voluntarily, or discontinued by forced recall. RESULTS: A total of 13.8% of products were discontinued 5 to 10 years after being advertised. Three percent were discontinued through forced recall, and 10.8% were discontinued voluntarily. Of the products still available, 60.2% were in current form, 12.9% were modified, 11.9% were available under a different company, and 1.2% were available but were temporarily recalled. CONCLUSION: Five to 10 years after the initial advertisement, nearly 40% of products were not available in their original advertised form.