Johnson & Johnson Admits Knowing About High Failure Rate of ASR Device

 Posted on March 24, 2013 in Defective Medical Devices

A recent New York Times report has revealed that Johnson & Johnson, makers of the hip implant device Articular Surface Replacement (ASR), became aware that its all-metal hip replacement device had an alarmingly high failure rate, not long after the company issued a recall for the device. The company's analysis showed that the device would fail within five years in nearly 40 percent of patients.

This analysis also found that over the next few years, the implant is likely to fail prematurely in thousands more patients. This is in addition to the thousands who have already had painful and costly medical procedures to replace the defective implants.

The Times reports that not only didn't Johnson & Johnson release this information; they were discovering it at a time when they were publicly dismissing the same kind of findings by a British implant registry.

The device, which is made up of all metal, were given to approximately 93,000 patients worldwide, with about 30,000 of those patients residing in the United States. Doctors no longer use any of the all-metal replacement devices because it has been found that the components of the device can grind together, which releases metallic debris that damages a patient's tissue and bone.

Currently, there are over 10,000 lawsuits against the company from patients who received the device. About 7,000 lawsuits were consolidated in an Ohio federal court and another 2,000 consolidated in a California federal court.

If you were one of the many victims of this defective medical device, you need to consult with an experienced Illinois defective medical device attorney to find out what compensation you may be entitled to for your pain and suffering.