Plaintiff Suffered Extreme Pain and Loss of Mobility Allegedly Due to Defective Metal-on-Metal DePuy ASR Hip Replacement Device

New York, New York (PRWEB) May 23, 2012

Parker Waichman LLP, a national law firm dedicated to protecting the legal rights of victims of defective medical devices, has filed ametal-on-metal hip replacement lawsuit on behalf of a California man who sustained serious injuries allegedly due to DePuy Orthopaedics‘ recalled ASR Hip Implant device. The complaint, which names DePuy Orthopaedics and its parent, Johnson & Johnson, as Defendants, was filed on May 23, 2012, in U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Ohio, where thousands of DePuy ASR Hip Implant lawsuits are currently consolidated in the DePuy Orthopaedics, Inc. ASR Hip Implant Products Liability Litigation (Case No. 1:12-dp-21229-DAK).

According to the complaint, the Plaintiff, a 43-year-old man from Antioch, California, was implanted with a DePuy ASR Hip Replacement on October 12, 2009. The complaint alleges that he subsequently suffered from extreme pain and loss of mobility, allegedly due to the DePuy ASR Hip Implant Device.

DePuy Orthopaedics issued a worldwide recall of the ASR Hip Resurfacing System and ASR Acetabular System on August 24, 2010, after data from the National Joint Registry of England and Wales showed that 1 out of every 8 patients (12%-13%) who had received the devices had to undergo revision surgery within five years of receiving it. [depuy.com/asr-hip-replacement-recall]

The U.S. Food & Drug Administration (FDA) is currently conducting a safety review of metal-on-metalhip implants, including the DePuy ASR devices. The FDA recently announced that its Orthopaedic and Rehabilitation Devices Panel will meet on June 27 and 28 to discuss the risks and benefits of metal-on-metal hip systems, and make potential patient and practitioner recommendations for their use. [fda.gov/MedicalDevices/ProductsandMedicalProcedures/ImplantsandProsthetics/MetalonMetalHipImplants/ucm241604.htm]

The FDA review of metal-on-metal hip implants was prompted by a mounting body of evidence linking such devices to premature failures and potentially serious long-term health consequences. In March, for example, a large study published in The Lancet showed that there is a 6.2 percent chance patients with all-metal hips will need a replacement within five years, prompting the study authors to call for an end to their use. The month prior, a report in the British Medical Journal warned that hundreds of thousands of people around the world may have been exposed to dangerously high levels of toxic and potentially cancer-causing metals from failing metal-on-metal hip implants. [thelancet.com/journals/lancet/article/PIIS0140-6736%2812%2960353-5/fulltext; bmj.com/content/344/bmj.e1410]

Most recently, a study published in the May issue of the Journal of Arthroplasty linked corrosion of the head taper junction in patients with 36-mm diameter metal-on-metal hip implants with adverse local tissue reactions. [arthroplastyjournal.org/article/S0883-5403%2812%2900175-1/abstract]

Most DePuy ASR Hip Replacement lawsuits have been consolidated in the litigation now underway in the Northern District of Ohio. Bellwether trials in the federal DePuy ASR Hip Implant litigation are expected to begin in early 2013.

Parker Waichman LLP continues to offer free legal consultations to victims of DePuy ASR and other metal-on-metal hip implant injuries. If you or a loved one experienced premature failure of your implant or other health problems associated with a recalled DePuy ASR Hip Implant or other metal-on-metal hip implant, please contact their office by visiting the firm’s DePuy ASR hip implant injury page at http://www.yourlawyer.com. Free case evaluations are also available by calling 1 800 LAW INFO (1-800-529-4636).

For more information regarding defective hip implant lawsuits and Parker Waichman LLP, please visit: yourlawyer.com or call 1-800-LAW-INFO (1-800-529-4636).

Contact:

Parker Waichman LLP

Gary Falkowitz, Managing Attorney

(800) LAW-INFO