Members of British Parliament are seeking a criminal investigation into why DePuy did not warn thousands of British citizens about the very real possibility of developing metallosis. The news comes at a very bad time for the medical device manufacturer which recently began defending the first of 10,000 ASR hip failure lawsuits in the United States.
UK Surgeon’s Warnings To DePuy Fell On Deaf Ears
According to news reports in the United Kingdom’s Telegraph, Dr. David Beverland, an orthopedic surgeon at Musgrave Park Hospital in Belfast, continually told executives at DePuy Orthopaedics about the high failure rates of its ASR metal-on-metal hip replacement devices.
He also informed the company about an increasing number of patients who were developing metallosis – a metal poisoning of cobalt and chromium in the soft tissue that leads to painful and potentially dangerous side effects. However, those warnings fell on deaf ears according to the Telegraph – and now British legislators say that the company may face criminal charges for not taking action.
“If A Company Would Knowingly Do This, Then Where Does The Buck Stop?”
Those are the words of Andrew Miller, a member of Parliament for Ellesmere Port and Neston and Chair of the Science and Technology Committee. He described DePuy’s actions as “appalling” and said that the issue is likely a question of a criminal inquiry instead of a civil one. It is estimated that 10,000 UK citizens had DePuy ASR hip replacement implants before the company recalled the defective medical devices in 2010.
Brits’ Reports Of DePuy Hip Implant Side Effects Mirror Those In US
The British medical community’s reports of DePuy hip implant side effects largely mirror those that have been reported in the United States. They include:
- Tissue necrosis
- Pain at the implant site that sometimes spreads to the groin and back
- Inflammation and swelling
- Metal poisoning
- High failure rates
- Bone loss known as osteolysis
- Fluid collection/solid masses around the hip joint
Many DePuy hip implant patients have had to undergo painful and expensive surgeries to have their ASR hip implants replaced and now fear that the allegedly defective design of the metal-on-metal device will lead to metallosis. If you’ve been injured, please contact The Driscoll Firm, LLC, to discuss your situation with one of our experienced product liability attorneys so that you can make an informed decision about whether taking legal action is in your best interests.
