Patient problems with metal-on-metal hip implants and the high number of early failures of the devices has led to a ban on most metal-on-metal hip implants in all U.K. hospitals funded by the National Health Service (NHS). As a practical matter, the ban encompasses every hospital in the U.K.
Johnson & Johnson has tentatively agreed to a $4 billion settlement plan that could resolve thousands of lawsuits filed by patients who received a defective metal-on-metal hip replacement manufactured and sold by DePuy Orthopaedics. If approved, the plan would be one of the largest product liability settlements for lawsuits involving medical device defects.
Ann McCracken was implanted with the DePuy ASR metal-on-metal hip replacement in 2009. In her lawsuit against DePuy, she alleges that, as a result of the procedure, “she suffered and continues to suffer serious bodily injury and was forced to undergo revision surgery.” Her lawsuit is one of numerous federal suits alleging that a DePuy…
A Los Angeles, California jury on March 8, 2012 found that DePuy, a unit of Johnson & Johnson, defectively designed and negligently manufactured its ASR XL artificial hip. After a two-week trial, the jury awarded $8.3 million in damages to Loren Kransky.
In a letter published this week in the New York Times, the president of DePuy Orthopaedics denied allegations that his company knew about problems with its ASR metal-on-metal hip replacements but failed to alert doctors and health officials. Andrew Ekdahl’s letter was published in response to a New York Times investigation which found that DePuy…
Johnson & Johnson has revealed that it is under investigation by state and federal government agencies for alleged false claims related to the marketing of its DePuy metal-on-metal hip replacement and Gynecare transvaginal mesh products. Investigations by the Justice Department and the California attorney general’s office are trying to determine whether Johnson & Johnson may…
Documents uncovered in an ongoing lawsuit against DePuy Orthopaedics have revealed that executives at Johnson & Johnson, the parent company of DePuy, knew about critical design flaws with the company’s metal-on-metal hip replacements years before they were pulled from sale. DePuy recalled its ASR XL Acetabular System and ASR Hip Resurfacing System hip replacements in…
A study conducted by Johnson & Johnson shortly after the company recalled two models of its DePuy hip replacements found that the implants would fail within five years for 40% of patients who received one of the two devices. Johnson & Johnson recalled the DePuy ASR XL Acetabular System and ASR Hip Resurfacing System hip…
Lawyers involved in the DePuy Pinnacle multidistrict litigation currently underway in Texas say that more than 2,900 lawsuits against DePuy have already been filed by users of the company’s Pinnacle hip replacements. The lawsuits allege that DePuy’s metal-on-metal hip replacements are more likely to cause complications in patients who receive the device than other brands…
The FDA is requiring hip implant manufacturer DePuy to conduct an explant study protocol as part of its post-market surveillance study of the metal-on-metal Pinnacle hip replacements. An agreement has now been reached between attorneys for Plaintiffs and Defendants in the consolidated DePuy Pinnacle Hip Implant litigation regarding the contents of a notice that DePuy…
Metal-on-Metal Implant Problems Following the recall of 93,000 DePuy ASR hip implants in 2010, the FDA received numerous complaints about the DePuy Pinnacle hip-replacement system. Many patients have experienced early failure rates with their Pinnacle devices, forcing them to undergo painful corrective surgeries. In addition, because metal shavings are produced when the socket and ball…
The orthopedic device manufacturer Stryker has recalled two modular-neck hip stems. The recall affects all lots of the Rejuvenate Modular and the ABG II modular-neck hip stems. Hip stems are attachments to artificial hip replacements that allow the device to better fit a patient’s anatomy.