A story in The Telegraph says British members of parliament are calling for a criminal investigation into DePuy Orthopaedics, a division of Johnson & Johnson that manufactured “metal-on-metal” hip implants.
A Telegraph investigation found that DePuy continued to market the implants, which feature both a ball and socket coated in metal, after a leading British surgeon warned a company executive that they were causing debilitating injuries for patients.
The Telegraph says the artificial hips were supposed to last a lifetime. But the company’s own data allegedly found that a relatively high proportion of them were failing after two-and-a-half years.
In the United States, the implants have generated about 10,000 lawsuits from patients who were harmed by them.
The implants also have a tendency to shed toxic metal debris in patients’ bodies. The Telegraph story says hundreds of British patients are having them replaced because they’re a suspected cause of blood poisoning.
According to the report, MP Andrew Miller called the allegations “appalling.”
Miller is quoted as saying: “If this is proven then it ought to be up to the regulator to contemplate involving the police so there is a criminal inquiry. If a company would knowingly do this then where does the buck stop? I think it’s a question of a criminal inquiry rather than a civil one.”
You should consult with a doctor if you have any ongoing symptoms or health concerns from a DePuy hip implant. If you have significant injuries, you should also consult with a DePuy hip lawyer to discuss your legal rights.
See the story here:
