The president of DePuy Orthopaedics, Andrew Ekdahl, recently testified that the company’s recall of 93,000 ASR XL metal-on-metal hip implant devices was for clinical reasons – and not because the product was defective. Ekdahl’s recent testimony was presented at the second trial against the company in Illinois. The first trial resulted in a California jury’s award of $8.3 million to the plaintiff. Approximately 11,000 similar lawsuits are pending throughout the nation.
DePuy Maintains Hip Implants Were Not Defective
Ekdahl and other high-ranking DePuy and Johnson & Johnson executives maintain that their metal-on-metal hip implants were not defective – despite thousands of reports alleging otherwise. In fact, according to Bloomberg News, a document from the Health Hazard Risk/Evaluation Review Board was presented into evidence which showed that only days before the recall company executives determined that its hip implant devices were a “defective product that would affect product performance and/or could cause health problems.” Product liability lawyers following the trial say that this latest evidence is very damaging to the company.
Metallosis Issues Take Center Stage In Second Trial
Metallosis, toxic metal poisoning created by the friction of chromium and cobalt parts, is becoming an increasing concern for patients implanted with these devices and is likely to take center stage in the trial against DePuy Orthopaedics now underway in Illinois.
The plaintiff in that trial is Carol Strum, a 54-year-old nurse. She was implanted with DePuy’s metal-on-metal hip replacement system in 2008, but had to have it replaced only three years later after doctors found that the implant was shedding chromium and cobalt debris into surrounding tissues. Strum and thousands of other DePuy patients have become increasingly concerned about metallosis issues as information about its long-term health effects is limited.
If you’ve been injured due to any dangerous or defective medical device, contact the experienced product liability attorneys at The Driscoll Firm, LLC, to find out whether you might be entitled to compensation for your injuries, such as past and future medical bills, lost income, medical monitoring, pain and suffering and more.
