In addition to the mounting number of DePuy Pinnacle hip implant lawsuits, Johnson & Johnson is also faced with the prospect that metal-on-metal hips will soon be subject to additional regulatory scrutiny.
New York, New York (PRWEB) May 17, 2013
Bernstein Liebhard LLP, a nationwide law firm representing clients in DePuy Pinnacle hip implant lawsuits, notes that Johnson & Johnson has announced a decision to end sales of metal-on-metal hip replacements. According to a May 16th report from The New York Times, the phase-out will include the all-metal version of the Pinnacle hip replacement system, which utilizes the Ultamet liner.* Court records indicate that Johnson & Johnson is facing more than 4,000 DePuy Pinnacle hip lawsuits in a consolidated litigation underway in U.S. District Court, Northern District of Texas, all of which allege injuries due to the metal-on-metal hip replacement. (In re: DePuy Orthopaedics, Inc. Pinnacle Hip Implant Products Liability Litigation - MDL No. 2244)
“In addition to the mounting number of DePuy Pinnacle hip implant lawsuits, Johnson & Johnson is also faced with the prospect that metal-on-metal hips will soon be subject to additional regulatory scrutiny. In light of those facts, the Company’s decision to end sales of the all-metal DePuy Pinnacle hip implant is not particularly surprising,” says Bernstein Liebhard LLP, a nationwide law firm representing the victims of defective drugs and medical devices. Jeffrey S. Grand, a partner with Bernstein Liebhard LLP, serves on the Plaintiffs’ Steering Committee for the DePuy Pinnacle litigation. The Firm continues to offer free legal evaluations to individuals who suffered metallosis, early device failure, and other serious complications, allegedly due to the all-metal DePuy Pinnacle Hip Replacement System.
DePuy Pinnacle Hip Implant Lawsuits
According to the New York Times report, in announcing the metal-on-metal hip phase-out, Johnson & Johnson cited lower demand for such products, as well the recent action taken by the U.S. Food & Drug Administration (FDA) in regards to the devices. In January, the agency proposed an order that would make all-metal hips ineligible for 510(K) clearance, which allowed the products to come to market with no human testing. If the proposed rule is adopted, Johnson & Johnson and other metal-on-metal hip implant makers would be required to conduct human studies of their safety and efficacy in order to continue selling the devices.**
Court records indicate that the first trials in the federal DePuy Pinnacle hip replacement litigation will begin in September 2014. Plaintiffs in these claims allege the all-metal device is prone to wear and can shed dangerous amounts of metal debris, leading to premature implant failure, metallosis and other debilitating DePuy Pinnacle complications. The lawsuits further allege that the Pinnacle hip replacements suffer from the same design defects that prompted the 2010 DePuy ASR hip recall, and question whether they should have been recalled as well.
Alleged victims of DePuy Pinnacle complications may be entitled to compensation for their medical care, pain and suffering, and other damages. A wealth of information about DePuy Pinnacle hip implant lawsuits is available at Bernstein Liebhard’s website. For additional information, please call 800-511-5092today.
*nytimes.com/2013/05/17/business/jj-is-phasing-out-metal-replacement-hips.html?ref=health&_r=0
**fda.gov/MedicalDevices/ProductsandMedicalProcedures/ImplantsandProsthetics/MetalonMetalHipImplants/ucm241604.htm
About Bernstein Liebhard LLP
Bernstein Liebhard LLP is a New York-based law firm exclusively representing injured persons in complex individual and class action lawsuits nationwide since 1993, including those who have been harmed by dangerous drugs, defective medical devices and consumer products. The firm has been named by The National Law Journal to the “Plaintiffs’ Hot List,” recognizing the top plaintiffs’ firms in the country, for the past 10 consecutive years.
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ATTORNEY ADVERTISING. © 2013 Bernstein Liebhard LLP. The law firm responsible for this advertisement is Bernstein Liebhard LLP, 10 East 40th Street, New York, New York 10016, (212) 779-1414. Prior results do not guarantee or predict a similar outcome with respect to any future matter.
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Contact Information:
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Bernstein Liebhard LLP
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