Johnson & Johnson has issued a recall for defective hip replacement implants after many patients complained that the implants failed and that they had to have more unnecessary surgery as a result. According to a news report in the New York Times, the recall came this week, over two years after the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) began receiving complaints about the failure of these hip replacement implants, manufactured by DePuy Orthopedics, a unit of Johnson & Johnson.

Hundreds of Complaints

DePuy is recalling two products — the ASR XL Acetabular System, a hip socket used in traditional hip replacement, and the ASR Hip Resurfacing System, a partial hip replacement that involves placing a metal cap on the ball of the femur, a method intended to preserve more bone. About 93,000 of these devices have been implanted worldwide. Since the beginning of 2008, the FDA has received about 400 complaints from patients who got the devices.

These defective products have been studied closely over the last few years because they are part of a class of devices called “metal-on-metal bearings,” which can generate debris from wear. This can lead to inflammation and tissue damage in certain patients. Recently, there have been several media reports that have talked about the high rate of failure of ASR implants.

Series of Product Safety Recalls

Johnson & Johnson, much like Japanese auto maker Toyota, has been facing a PR nightmare with a number of its best-selling products recalled for contamination and defects. If you have one of the recalled hip replacement implants, please schedule a check-up with your doctor to make sure you are not at-risk for complications.

If you have had the ASR XL Acetabular System or the ASR Hip Resurfacing System implanted, and then had it removed due to failure of the system, or if your doctor recommends you have it removed, you may greatly benefit from the counsel of an experienced personal injury lawyer who has successfully handled products liability cases against large manufacturers. In such cases, patients could seek compensation for medical expenses, cost of unnecessary and additional surgery, pain and suffering, emotional distress, loss of wages and other related damages. The best product defect law firms will always offer a free consultation and comprehensive case evaluation to injured victims and their families.

Do you have one of these Johnson & Johnson hip replacement implants? We would like to hear from you.

The BISNAR|CHASE personal injury law firm is not representing any of the parties mentioned in this article at the time the article was posted. Our information source is cited in the article. If you were involved in this incident or a similar incident and have questions as to your rights and options, call us or another reputable law firm. Do not act solely upon the information provided herein. Get a consultation. The best law firms will provide a free consultation. We provide a free, confidential consultation to not at fault persons named in this article. The free consultation offer extends to family members as well.