Category Archives: Other Medical Devices

Miscellaneous and uncategorized Medical Device posts

Plaintiffs Score Victory in Fight Against Dangerous Vaginal Mesh Implants

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Posted June 6, 2012 by Mark Dykes

Johnson and Johnson has announced that its Ethicon unit will end sales of most of its vaginal mesh implants which are the subject of hundreds of lawsuits claiming the implants are defective and dangerous. It is expected that it will take several months for the products to come off the market and the company has asked the FDA for 120 days to end sales. In addition, Johnson and Johnson says Ethicon will also discontinue or revise, as appropriate, all marketing materials during this time. These marketing materials form the basis of claims that patients and physicians were not appropriately warned of the risks of vaginal mesh implants. Ethicons agreement to change or stop using the marketing materials is an important victory for the lawyers and clients pushing for changes in how these implants are made and sold.

Full story: J&J Tells Judge It Will Stop Sales of Vaginal Implants, Bloomberg News

Prone To Failure, Some All-Metal Hip Implants Need To Be Removed Early

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Original article by Richard Knox, NPR

March 19, 2012 – Because older-model artificial hips are usually made of a tough plastic and metal, they can wear out, especially in people who are physically active. Manufacturers of all-metal hips have touted them as the right choice for younger patients but, for thousands of artificial hip patients, they’ve been a bad choice…. [read NPR article here]

91 Lawyers Go Before the Judge

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January 24, 2011 – The Honorable Judge David Katz is currently deciding which attorneys should be appointed to serve on the Plaintiffs’ Steering Committee (PSC) for the DePuy hip implant product liability litigation. The DePuy cases were recently consolidated in the Northern District of Ohio where the pre-trial litigation will be conducted. The PSC is responsible for litigating on behalf of the Plaintiffs. All of the work they do is for the common benefit of every Plaintiff whose suit is on file in the MDL. Judge Katz, who presides over the MDL, asked for letters from every Plaintiffs’ lawyer interested in serving on the PSC. These lawyers were then given the opportunity to appear before Judge Katz in court on Thursday, January 20, 2011 to tell him why they should be appointed. Ninety-one lawyers made that court appearance. Each lawyer was allowed to speak for two minutes. Judge Katz’s decision is expected within the next few days since there is much work to be done and no time to waste.

Depuy Recalls 93,000 Hip Implants

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Posted April 19, 2010 by Cindy L. Nations

DePuy Orthopedics, a subsidiary of Johnson & Johnson, announced a global recall of the following hip implants on August 24, 2010:

  • ASR™ XL Acetabular System
  • ASR™ Hip Resurfacing System

The devices were recalled because of a design defect that causes metallic ions to be released into the bloodstream and causes damage to surrounding tissue. The result is severe pain and potentially toxic levels of chromium and cobalt in the blood, the effects of which remains to be seen. The failed implants have to be replaced through revision surgery, which is more complicated than the original hip implant procedure. Although the recall was issued in July 2010, DePuy didn’t send the Dear Doctor Letter until the end of August.