MoM Hip Implants
Consumer Reports Calls for Hip Manufacturers to Provide Warranties
In the past years, there has been a huge increase in the number of young people getting hip and knee replacements. In the past, these devices were reserved for the elderly, but as more and more people live and want to maintain active lifestyles, these implants are becoming an option for the young. In fact,…
Federal Trial Against Johnson & Johnson Delayed
The first federal trial against Johnson and Johnson for its ASR hip implant was supposed to start on September 14, but U.S. District Judge David Katz has signed an order postponing it because of problems scheduling expert witnesses on both sides. Additionally, there have been problems with general pre-trial discovery because of the fact that…
DePuy Considers Massive Settlement for Hip Implants
Johnson & Johnson’s DePuy subsidiary is facing massive liability over its metal on metal hip implants, in particular the Articular Surface Replacement (ASR) implants. In March 2013, a jury granted plaintiff Loren “Bill” Kransky $8.3 million in compensatory damages for medical expenses and pain and suffering. The jury did not impose punitive damages. Now DePuy…
Judge Refuses to Dismiss Biomet Lawsuit
There are almost 600 lawsuits pending in multidistrict litigation in Indiana against device manufacturer Biomet. Earlier this month, Biomet filed a motion to dismiss, alleging that because a component of its implant was involved in a clinical trial, plaintiff Leslie Caccia was preempted from bringing suit. The judge in the case denied the motion, stating…
Smith & Nephew Issues Hip Implant Recall
In June of 2012, U.K. based medical device manufacturer Smith & Nephew issued a recall of a metal liner belonging to its R3 Acetabular System. The R3 Acetabular System is a modular system, which was created to allow the surgeon to custom-pick the parts that might best fit the patient. The parts were made of…
Biomet Metal on Metal Hip Implant Lawsuit
Medical device manufacturer Biomet grossed sales of $312.9 million in 2010 from hip implants. Despite having 12% of the domestic hip implant market share, Biomet’s metal on metal hip implants have had their share of problems. Two of the company’s products in particular have had the most problems: the M2a Magnum Hip Implant, and the…
British Medical Journal Reports Ongoing Problems with Metal on Metal Hip Implants
In a February 2012 issue of the journal BMJ, scientists reported on the problems common to all metal on metal hip implants. First, revision rates with metal on metal hip implants are much higher than with other types of implants. Second, metal poisoning is an unfortunate reality of these implants as well. The metal used…
What Happens When a Manufacturer Issues a Recall?
With most metal on metal hip implants having reports of complications, you may be wondering what steps you should take if you have received an implant. If you suspect that your hip implant may be causing complications or may be one of those subject to a recall, first contact your doctor’s office to get more…
Stryker Recalls Hip Implants
Stryker Orthopaedics, one of the world’s leaders in knee and hip implant replacements, recalled two of its hip products in July of 2012 after data showed higher than expected rates of complication and failure. A few months earlier, Stryker sent an Urgent Field Safety Notice to doctors, informing them that parts of the implants were…
Is the FDA To Blame for the DePuy Hip Implant Debacle?
As more and more metal on metal hip implants fail and are recalled, many are wondering how they passed FDA scrutiny in the first place. How was such a flawed medical device approved in the first place? The answer is the 510(k) clearance process for medical devices, a now controversial system of clearing moderate risk…
