DePuy Pinnacle Lawsuit News: Bernstein Liebhard LLP Notes Release of Consensus Statement Regarding Management of Metal on-Metal Hip Patients

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The findings regarding failure rates and adverse tissue reactions associated with metal-on-metal hips noted in the Consensus Statement echo allegations put forth in DePuy Pinnacle lawsuits.

New York, New York (PRWEB) January 15, 2014

As thousands of DePuy Pinnacle hip lawsuits (http://www.depuypinnacle-lawsuit.com/) continue to move forward in courts around the U.S., Bernstein Liebhard LLP notes that a trio of medical groups has issued a Consensus Statement regarding the management of patients with metal-on-metal hip implants. Among other things, the Statement notes that the failure rate associated with all-metal hips may be two-to-three times higher than the rates associated with hip bearings consisting of other materials. The document further notes that adverse periprosthetic tissue reactions involving the hip joint have emerged as an important reason for metal-on-metal hip implant failure. The Consensus Statement was published jointly in the January issue of the Journal of Bone and Joint Surgery by the American Association of Hip and Knee Surgeons, the American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons, and The Hip Society.*

“The findings regarding failure rates and adverse tissue reactions associated with metal-on-metal hips noted in the Consensus Statement echo allegations put forth in DePuy Pinnacle lawsuits, as well as other product liability claims involving these types of hip devices,” says Bernstein Liebhard LLP, a nationwide law firm representing the victims of defective drugs and medical devices. Bernstein Liebhard LLP continues to offer free legal evaluations to alleged victims of serious complications associated with metal-on-metal hip implants.

DePuy Pinnacle Hip Lawsuits
Court documents indicate that more than 5,400 DePuy Pinnacle lawsuits have been filed in a multidistrict litigation underway in U.S. District Court, Northern District of Texas. All of the complaints involve a metal-on-metal version of the Pinnacle hip system that utilizes the Ultamet Liner. Plaintiffs allege that this design can cause metal debris to accumulate at dangerous levels in a patient’s body, resulting in adverse tissue reactions, pseudotumor formation and other serious complications. Plaintiffs also assert that the all-metal Pinnacle shares similarities in design to the ASR hip, which DePuy Orthopaedics recalled in 2010, and question whether or not the all-metal Pinnacle should have been removed from the market as well. Jeffrey S. Grand, a partner with Bernstein Liebhard LLP, serves on the Plaintiffs’ Steering Committee in this proceeding. (In re: DePuy Orthopaedics Inc. Pinnacle Hip Implant Product Liability Litigation, MDL No. 2244)

In January 2013, the U.S. Food & Drug Administration (FDA) advised all patients fitted with metal-on-metal hips to undergo metal ion testing if they were experiencing signs or symptoms of device failure. The agency has also proposed new rules that would subject all-metal hips to greater regulatory scrutiny. According to the FDA, its review of metal-on-metal hips indicated that such devices were more likely to fail within five years of surgery compared to devices made of other materials.

In May 2013, Bloomberg.com reported that DePuy Orthopaedics had decided to phase out sales of metal-on-metal hip implants, including the all-metal Pinnacle, in part due to recent FDA actions.**

Individuals who have suffered serious complications allegedly due to the metal-on-metal version of the DePuy Pinnacle hip may be entitled to financial compensation for their injury-related damages. To learn more about filing a Pinnacle hip lawsuit, please visit Bernstein Liebhard LLP's website. To arrange for a free, no obligation legal review of your case, please call 800-511-5092 today.

*jbjs.org/article.aspx?articleid=1790481; JBJS, January 2014
**bloomberg.com/news/2013-05-16/j-j-will-stop-sales-of-metal-on-metal-hip-replacements.html, Bloomberg.com, May 17, 2013

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. © 2014 Bernstein Liebhard LLP. The law firm responsible for this advertisement is Bernstein Liebhard LLP, 10 East 40th Street, New York, New York 10016, 800-511-5092. Prior results do not guarantee or predict a similar outcome with respect to any future matter.
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Contact Information:
Felecia L. Stern, Esq.
Bernstein Liebhard LLP
info(at)consumerinjurylawyers(dot)com
http://www.depuypinnacle-lawsuit.com/
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