FDA Metal-on-Metal Hip Replacement Conference Scheduled
After a massive recall beginning in August 2010, and thousands of DePuy hip replacement lawsuits filed against the Johnson & Johnson subsidiary that manufactured the ASR XL Acetabular System and the ASR Hip Resurfacing System, regulators continue to question the safety of all-metal hip replacements. In the United States, the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) required 21 manufacturers, including DePuy Orthopaedics, to submit postmarket surveillance reports on their metal hip products back in May 2011. On March 29, 2012, the agency moved forward again by announcing an FDA metal-on-metal hip replacement conference.
New Committee Formed
The conference will last two days, June 27-28, 2012, and it will be open to the public. According to the meeting notice (PDF), the FDA will “seek expert scientific and clinical opinion on the risks and benefits of these types of devices based on available scientific facts.” The name of the committee that will hold the FDA metal-on-metal hip replacement conference is the “Orthopaedic and Rehabilitation Devices Panel of the Medical Devices Advisory Committee.”
Because of the hip replacement failure symptoms recipients have reported, the committee will look into the following issues:
- Why metal hips fail and how
- Accurate methods of testing for metal ions in recipients’ blood and tissues
- Local and systemic complications
- Patient risk factors
- Patient follow-up considerations
In its press release, the FDA quoted the deputy director of science at its Center for Devices and Radiological Health, Dr. William Maisel, saying, “We are asking outside scientific and medical experts to discuss recent information on these devices so that the agency can continue to make reliable safety recommendations to patients and their health care providers.”
RLG Represents Those Injured by All-Metal Hips
With any luck, the committee will be able to use the knowledge it gains from the FDA metal-on-metal hip replacement conference to protect artificial hip recipients in the future. However, for those who have already received such a device, it will probably do little good. If you received a recalled DePuy hip, and you believe it injured you, it’s important to know that the amount of compensation from a hip replacement lawsuit might be greater than what DePuy is willing to offer you through its recall reimbursement program. In a lawsuit, a plaintiff can recover damages for full medical expenses, lost income, transportation costs, pain and suffering, and possibly punitive damages. If you click on this link or call 1-877-312-3274, a hip replacement lawyer from the Rottenstein law group will discuss your case for free.
For more information on filing a DePuy lawsuit, download this free brochure.