Drug Law Center
Metal on metal hip implant devices have placed an untold number of people at risk, as the grinding of material during movement can lead to the contamination of blood with toxic levels of heavy metals. The buildup of metal in the blood is called metalosis— or metal poisoning— and can have life altering or ending consequences that include severe physical pain, disability, damage to the nervo
us system and death. These risks were never disclosed to patients, and thousands of claims have been filed against the leading manufacturers of metal on metal hip replacement products due to instances of metalosis linked to hip prosthetics.
The Types of Metal Used in Metal on Metal Hip Replacement Systems are Extremely Dangerous
When pieces of metal grind against one another, very small shavings can be produced that may harm surrounding tissue or make their way into the blood. Our blood already has different metallic compounds within it, but certain metals are toxic to our cells. Those metals, which are found in metal on metal devices include cobalt, chromium, titanium, nickel and molybdenum.
In 2004, there were 166 drug recalls issued by the FDA. In only the first seven months of 2014, we witnessed 836 recalls. This is staggering and worth a long discussion on the causes of these recalls and why they are becoming so frequent. The public has the right to demand that medications be deemed safe using substantive research and trials in order to ensure their safety and to provide the information we all need to make informed choices about our health.
lternatives for those who may not respond well to the medications currently on the market. Let’s take a look at the FDA’s approval process for new medications.
umental in protecting the public when device manufacturers fail to properly disclose these risks.
ts are the cause of the current slew of lawsuits being levied against C.R Bard, Cook Medical and Cordis.
ntiffs for the cases to go through what is called Multidistrict Litigation, or an MDL. This process is meant to help with the efficient resolution of such a large number of lawsuits by establishing what evidence and facts can be considered universally relevant. Understanding how this process works will help you determine how your own case may be impacted by the results of the proceedings. There are many misconceptions on how an MDL works and the following will set things straight.
they were accustomed to.
market is one of the major contributing factors to the serious problems we are hearing about, according to a study performed by the publication, Obstetrics and Gynecology. Numerous doctors have mounting concerns over just how easy it is for medical devices to make it onto the market through a loophole that allows any device that has similarities with an existing one to pass over the clinical trial, research and approval process that would otherwise be required.
due to concerns over metal poisoning, early device failure and other defects that have required revisionary surgery to address. After enduring judgements of over $1 billion, a judge recently reduced the rewards to roughly half of what juries had awarded, citing limits to punitive damages. While the recent amendment represents $500 million in relief for Johnson & Johnson, the company is still facing over 9,000 lawsuits from plaintiffs claiming damages.