ASR & ASR XL Defective Hip Cases

DePuy Orthopedics, Inc., a global orthopedic device and supply company owned by Johnson & Johnson, has issued a recall of the ASR XL Acetabular System and the ASR Hip Resurfacing System. Both of the products are hip implant devices. The former is a hip socket, and the latter, used in partial hip replacements, involves a metal cap on the femur. There have been about 93,000 of them implanted across the world.

In addition to the ASR / ASR XL recall there, are other potential hip implant devices that may be causing problems. There is pending litigation regarding the DePuy Pinnacle metal on metal device.

The products can be dangerous for a couple of reasons. First, ASR Hip Impants may cause large quantities of metal ion to be released into the patients. Some of the people who received this implant are now suffering from metalosis as a result of a sloughing of cobalt and other metals into their system. The metal is embedding itself in the tissue, and the result could be illness or in extreme cases cancer as the metals involved are shown to cause cancer in studies. Next, they fail at extremely high rates. In the United States alone, hundreds have had to submit to additional hip surgeries because of DePuy hip- devices failure.

DePuy announced the recall in August of 2010, more than two years after the FDA first started being bombarded with complaints of the faulty implants. A year before the recall, DePuy stated that it was phasing out the products because they were not selling. DePuy warned doctors in March of 2010 that the products could have a high rate of failure. Doctors were not surprised by this news, as medical centers across the country had been seeing the phenomenon for some time.

In the same week that the recall was issued, the FDA expressed criticism of the company in a warning letter, which said, among other things, that the company marketed a knee device illegally and sold a hip implant for a use that was not approved. Without a doubt, the recalls raised questions as to whether there were even more widespread problems within Johnson & Johnson. Prior to the hip implant recalls, Johnson & Johnson recalled many of its products, including liquid children's Tylenol and Acuvue contact lenses.

If you were a recipient of an ASR or ASR XL hip implant in or since 2003 and have been experiencing any kind of problem, such as unexplained hip pain, swelling, or difficulty walking, you should initially contact your doctor. These types of symptoms could be indicative of a loose hip implant. Since March of 2010, there has been a noticeable rise in lawsuits against DePuy noting the symptoms listed above.

In order to win a lawsuit against DePuy, you will need an aggressive lawyer with experience fighting large corporations in product liability lawsuits. DePuy is pushing for settlements but will only pay for the cost of the replacement surgery. This is severely problematic, for as you well know the healthcare carriers have a lien for third party negligence, not JUST for the cost of the replacement surgery, but in theory for the first surgery since DePuy knew.

At Altman & Altman, our hip lawsuit attorneys will fight zealously for your claim, and they also have the expertise to take the case to trial if need be. If you or a loved one has been injured by a ASR/ ASR XL DePuy hip or another defective product we can help you. Our attorneys are seasoned in products liability lawsuits and we do not let up until our clients have the settlement they deserve. Please contact our office at any time, toll free, to discuss your situation and potential claim with one of our many experienced attorneys.