According to the May 11. 2011 article in the New York times, The FDA has ordered the manufacturers of the De Puy artificial hip and all producers of metal on metal artificial hips to undertake studies of the implants, which have been linked to high early failure...
DePuy Hip Replacement
British Study Finds 49% of DePuy ASR Hips Fail At 6 Years
The more attention that is paid to the DePuy metal on metal replacement hips, the more it seems that the problem is bigger than anyone thinks. Initially, the projected rates of failure of the DePuy ASR was in the realm of about 12-13%. (DePuy Hip Recall Lawsuit). ...
Government Accountability Office Criticizes FDA Fastrack Process
"The FDA is falling short in how it handles recalls of risky medical devices, a new report from the Government Accountability Office concluded, adding to the ever-mounting criticisms of the agency's fast-track, 510(k) approval process." The Government Accountability...
International Bribery, Oil, Drugs…and Artificial Hips??
Johnson and Johnson has admitted that it bribed European doctors and paid kickbacks in Iraq to win contracts to sell drugs and artificial joints. The late Warren Zevon sang “Send lawyers, guns, and money, the sh*t has hit the fan”. Is that what they are thinking...
Is Your Doctor Also Working for a Drug Company?
How independent is your doctor when making a prescription choice for you? On March 31, 2011 Merck revealed it paid $20.4 million to over 2088 physicians ($10,600 on average) in 2010 for speaking on its behalf. These figures do not include what Schering Plough,...
78% of Recalled Medical Devices were Approved by the FDA’s Fasttrack Process
An article has been published in the Archives of Internal Medicine attacking the FDA's fast track approval processes that include the 510(k) application for medical devices. "Most medical devices recalled for life-threatening or very serious hazards were originally...
Celebrities and Athletes : PR Ambassadors
American companies with public relations issues have historically turned to celebrities and athletes for advertising help to improve their image or promote their product. We all remember celebrity endorsements to oppose negative press for asbestos manufacturer Johns...
A Loophole Allowed the DePuy Hip to be FDA Approved Without Testing
A enlightening article in the New York Times discusses this "Implant Loophole" and how DePuy (owned by Johnson & Johnson) skirted the clinical testing requirement in order to get this product on the market as soon as possible. There is a significant controversy...
Johnson and Johnson Earnings Down Amid DePuy Charge
In recent financial reports Johnson & Johnson, owner of DePuy Orthopaedics, has set aside almost $1 billion to prepare for litigation and settlements related to injured plaintiffs who have used the DePuy hip replacement apparatus. The litigation nationally is...
The FDA Identifies DePuy Hip Replacement Model Numbers
On October 13, 2010, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration released a report detailing the extent of DePuy's recall of its two metal-on-metal hip replacements, the ASL XL Acetabular System and the ASL Hip Resurfacing System. (To see model numbers click here to go to...