DePuy Hip Replacement Recall Sheds Light on FDA Medical Device Approval Process

admin — Fri, 22 Apr 2011 19:10:53 +0000

The Senate Special Committee on Aging held a hearing on April 13th regarding how medical devices are approved for sale by the FDA. The hip replacement recall of the DePuy ASR was also discussed at the hearing, placing emphasis on the importance of the testing and better post-market surveillance of medical devices.

DePuy ASR Recipients Urged to Register Their Device

admin — Fri, 25 Mar 2011 22:01:24 +0000

Just a few weeks ago, data from surgeons in the UK showed the DePuy ASR failure rate at 21% at four years, and as high as 49% after only six years. The DePuy recall letter for the ASR hip replacement devices noted revision rates of 12% after five years, but numerous sources and data have clearly shown higher rates of failure than those disclosed by DePuy. The uncertainty of what future data will show about the already failing ASR implant has left many ASR recipients worried.

DePuy ASR Hip Recall Cases Consolidated in Multidistrict Litigation

admin — Thu, 24 Mar 2011 20:44:06 +0000

In August 2010 DePuy Orthopaedics, Inc., a Johnson & Johnson subsidiary, issued a recall of its ASR XL Hip Replacement System. As a result, thousands of lawsuits against DePuy were filed in courts all over the country. Complex product liability actions, such as the one following the DePuy Recall, require extensive discovery and complicated pre-trial procedures.

DePuy Parent Company CEO Receives Pay Cut After DePuy Recall

admin — Tue, 22 Mar 2011 22:44:57 +0000

William Weldon, the CEO of Johnson & Johnson (the parent company of DePuy Orthopaedics) has suffered a cut in his total compensation amid company troubles, including the DePuy hip replacement recall.

Surgery to Revise Recalled DePuy Hip Replacement Proves Complex, Risky and Painful

admin — Wed, 16 Mar 2011 22:15:36 +0000

Studies show that revision surgeries, such as those employed to revise the recalled DePuy hip replacement, are complex, risky and painful. However daunting this surgery may seem, many who were negligently implanted with the defective DePuy hip replacement have no choice other than to submit to the procedure, due to the implant’s high failure rate.

Australian Class Action Suit on Behalf of 5000 Filed Against DePuy Orthopaedics

admin — Tue, 15 Mar 2011 18:25:01 +0000

On Monday, February 28, 2011, a class action suit was commenced in the Federal Court of Australia against DePuy Orthopaedics. The suit centers around a recalled DePuy ASR hip implant which is manufactured by DePuy Orthopaedics, a subsidiary of Johnson & Johnson. The leading plaintiff in the action is Tammy Sanford, a resident of Hobart, Tasmania.

DePuy ASR XL Failure Rates Nearly 50%

admin — Mon, 14 Mar 2011 22:24:59 +0000

Important statistics presented at the British Hip Society Annual Conference in early March showed an even higher than anticipated revision rate for the DePuy ASR XL. Data collected from four surgeons in the U.K. showed a 21% revision rate at 4 years and 49% revision rate at 6 years for the recalled DePuy ASR XL hip device. Various reasons for failure include loosening of the acetabular or femoral component and metal reaction leading to death of tissue. In most cases, patients have high cobalt-chromium ion levels and fluid collection around the joint.

National Joint Registry Finally Underway in the U.S.

admin — Mon, 14 Mar 2011 19:57:36 +0000

The American Association of Orthopaedic Surgeons estimates that around 800,000 joint replacements take place in the United States each year, and the time has finally come for the U.S. to establish a joint registry, The American Joint Replacement Registry. The United Kingdom, Australia, and Sweden are just a few of the countries that have national joint registries, which monitor the performances of devices.

DePuy Orthopaedics President Resigns Following Recall of DePuy Hip Replacement

admin — Sat, 12 Mar 2011 22:09:14 +0000

David Floyd, president of DePuy Orthopaedics, manufacturing knee and hip replacements sold worldwide, has resigned his post amidst growing company struggles in the wake of the DePuy hip replacement recall.

A spokeswoman confirmed on Monday that Mr. Floyd had tendered his resignation in the last week of February, citing the pursuit of interests outside of DePuy Orthopaedics. Mr. Floyd will continue as president at DePuy Orthopaedics, a position he assumed in 2007, through a transition period which will end in late March.

The FDA Could Have Warned Patients Sooner About the Defective ASR

admin — Sat, 12 Mar 2011 21:28:13 +0000

When DePuy Orthopaedics recalled the ASR XL Acetabular System and ASR Hip Resurfacing System last August, it did so voluntarily, without any warnings from the Food and Drug Administration. By this time, there was ample amount of data and reports, accumulated through a few years, which showed the unusually high revision rate associated with the ASR hip implant.