DePuy ASR Hip Replacement Recall
ASR hip replacement systems are the subject of a recall by manufacturer DePuy Orthopedics. In the United States, the recall has been issued for the ASR XL Acetabular System. This is a hip resurfacing system, a partial hip replacement that involves placing a metal cap on the ball of the femur. A large number of Depuy ASR hip replacements have been defective or failed completely. The ASR hip resurfacing system implants can fail by becoming loose, fracturing the bone around the implant, or by the implant's ball and socket becoming disolcated. Recalled Depuy ASR hip replacements can cause swelling, pain, and difficulty walking. Metal particles can flake off of the ASR Hip replacement and enter the bloodstream, causing neuropathy and other symptoms of cobalt toxicity. Many individuals who received defective ASR hip replacements have had to undergo multiple painful surgeries to replace the failed ASR hip implants.
Hip replacement recall lawsuits are already being filed against DePuy. The law firm of Blizzard, McCarty & Nabers is experienced at handling hip replacement litigation. Our firm was a leader in negotiating the $1.2 billion dollar class action settlement for the defective Sulzer hip replacement.
Defective ASR Hip Replacements
This is not the first time DePuy has come under criticism for its ASR Hip replacements. Since the start of 2008, the FDA has received about 400 complaints involving patients in the United States who have received ASR hip replacements.
- In March of 2010, the company announced that it would be phasing out sales of the ASR hip replacement system by the end of the year. An article in the New York Times quoted orthopedic specialists who said that they believed that the design of the ASR Hip Replacement System was faulty.
- The ASR hip replacement system has come under scrutiny for its high failure rate, and when the ASR hip replacement recall was announced orthopedic specialists questioned why it had not been recalled sooner.
- In March of 2012, the New York Times reported that Johnson & Johnson executives decided in 2009 to phase out the DePuy hip implant and sell off its inventories for use in patients just weeks after the Food and Drug Administration asked the company in a letter for added safety data about the implant.
Since the initial DePuy hip recall in 2010, Both DePuy and it's parent company Johnson & Johnson have come under increasing scrutiny. Johnson & Johnson has faced a significant number of recent product recalls, and are also facing a lawsuit from the Attorney General of Texas. The DePuy hip replacements have also continued to gain international attention.
- New data from the United Kingdom released in March of 2011 suggested that the failure rate for the DePuy hip implants could be as high as 49%, much higher than the initially reported 13%.
- In May 0f 2011, the FDA took the highly unusual step of ordering manufacturers to re-evaluate the risk of metal on metal hip replacements, examine how frequently the devices were failing and what risk they posed to new patients.
- In October of 2011, California Congressman Henry Waxman began pushing for a congressional investigation of the DePuys hip implant and other implanted medical devices. Waxman was particularly interested in the review process that had allowed these unsafe products on the market.
DePuy ASR Hip Replacement Lawsuits
DePuy is currently facing over 600 lawsuits in the United States alone over the failure of the ASR hip implant. Hip replacement patients have had to undergo painful second surgeries to replace the defective devices and may face further complications. Hip replacement patients who have been harmed by defective DePuy hip replacements have the right to file a hip replacement lawsuit and seek compensation for their injuries.
Our attorneys are specialists in medical device litigation and for more than 25 years we have successfully represented our clients and stood up for the rights of people harmed by defective medical devices. We are a nationwide law firm serving clients from all over the country. We handle all DePuy hip replacement injury cases on a contingency basis.
To learn more, or for a free case review from an experienced hip replacement attorney, please contact us by email or call us at 1-800-349-0127.
