J&J’s Metal-on-Metal Hips Subject of 1,000 Lawsuits

Did Johnson & Johnson know about problems with its metal-on-metal joint replacements before it ceased production in 2009? That’s the allegation of approximately 1000 lawsuits directed towards J&J’s DePuy Orthopedic Unit.

A Wells Fargo analyst says J&J stands to lose more than $1 billion in liability and other costs, while J&J says it boosted its product-liability reserves by $570 million last year and has also set aside $280 million to cover medical costs of people who received the joints and experienced problems.

DePuy recalled the hip implants last year because too many patients needed surgeries to replace the devices. The unit had sold about 93,000 of the devices before phasing out production last year. Some data indicated surgeons needed to replace them at a rate more than twice the industry average. Some patients who received the recalled hip joint system say in their lawsuits that medical tests showed chromium and cobalt in their bloodstreams and allege the potentially toxic metals came from parts of the joint wearing down and leaching into their system.

J&J estimates that about 37,000 patients in the U.S. and about 93,000 world-wide have received the recalled device. A DePuy spokesperson said that J&J will cover medical costs related to the recalled device, including replacement surgery.

Related posts:

1. Child’s Entrapment Death Prompts Big Lots Recall of Metal Futon Bunk Beds Children behind the futon or in the ladder area of...
2. Higher Bleeding Rates Detected in J&J-Bayer Drug A heart drug from Johnson & Johnson and Bayer AG...
3. LexisNexis® Legal News Podcast for April 13, 2011 Johnson & Johnson and a subsidiary will pay close to...
4. Government Takes Over J&J’s Tylenol-Making Factories A government takeover of Johnson & Johnson’s Tylenol-making factories may...
5. Depuy Shoulder Implants Cause Complications Shoulder implants manufactured by Depuy have recently been linked to...