DePuy Hip Replacement Recall Spawns Thousands of Complaints
In August 2010, DePuy Orthopaedics initiated what is known as the DePuy hip replacement recall, one of the largest in the history of orthopedics. DePuy’s two metal-on-metal hip replacements, the ASR XL Acetabular Hip System and the ASR Hip Resurfacing System both fail at a rate of nearly 50% in six years, according to researchers. The recall has led to more than 1,000 DePuy hip replacement lawsuits. Now, the New York Times reports news that shouldn’t surprise anyone but is disturbing nonetheless: in the first six months of 2011, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) received 5,000 complaints about DePuy’s metal-on-metal hip replacements.
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Huge Growth in Adverse Events Reports
The news of the DePuy recall has clearly impacted recipients’ willingness to report problems with their hip replacements to the federal government. The Times article carries a chart depicting growth in adverse event reports for every year from 2007 until June 2011. By 2009, adverse event reports never topped 1,000. In 2010, that changed with around 2,500 reports, nearly 2,000 from DePuy ASR recipients alone. By June 2011, the number of reports doubled to more than 5,000, almost all them belonging to ASR recipients. In six months, the FDA received more adverse event reports than in the previous four years combined.
“It’s Like Playing Russian Roulette.”
So said orthopedic surgeon Dr. Geoffrey H Westrich, whom the Times used to represent the consensus among his profession regarding metal-on-metal hip replacements. Orthopedists have largely abandoned them in favor of metal-on-plastic models. Now, only five percent of new hip replacements are exclusively composed of metal, signifying a decline in doctors’ trust in them. It is likely sales have plummeted as well, with manufacturers bogged down in the FDA’s request that they investigate the probability of implant failure and effects of metal toxicity.
RLG Helps Those Who Want More than an FDA Report
The DePuy recall has affected tens of thousands of people. If you received a recalled hip replacement, you do not need to stop at filing an adverse event report with the FDA. You may be entitled to compensation from DePuy and its parent, Johnson & Johnson, for the harm it caused you. If you are interested in suing DePuy, the hip replacement lawyers of the Rottenstein Law Group are here to help. All you need to do is click on this link or complete our contact form to the right and one of our attorneys will call you as soon as possible.