August 23, 2011

Hip Replacement Controversy: FDA says all-metal implants may be industry’s costliest mistake since 2007

An analysis conducted by The New York Times estimates that the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has received more than 5,000 complaints pertaining to metal-on-metal hip replacement devices since January 2011. The thousands of reports received this year trump the total amount the FDA has on file for the previous four years combined.

Experts believe that metal-on-metal hip replacements may become the most expensive medical implant issue since Medtronic recalled a heart device component in 2007, when an estimated 7, 700 recall reports were documented.

The majority of hip replacement complaints involve patients who received a metal-on-metal implant and have either had to undergo corrective surgery or have the prosthetic removed within five years of the initial implant surgery. Hip implants are advertised to last for 15 years or longer.

The ASR™ Acetabular Hip Replacement System, recalled last year by Johnson and Johnson, has been the cause of approximately 75 percent of the FDA reports reviewed by The New York Times. Motley Rice is currently litigating cases against Johnson & Johnson, Inc., on behalf of clients who suffered serious injuries or complications related to the recalled DePuy hip implants.

Read the full article on mounting FDA hip replacement reports in The New York Times.

Learn more about Depuy hip implants and how Motley Rice attorneys fight for people suffering from potentially defective devices and fight to hold accountable those responsible for negligent medical care, corporate wrongdoing, and inadequate research and product development.