A high-profile British politician is speaking out about his own faulty hip implant made by Johnson & Johnson subsidiary DePuy Orthopaedics, which has “left him in agony and needing two operations,” according to a BBC story.
The story says Andrew Rothaban, Member of Parliament and defense minister, intends to join with thousands of other people who have filed lawsuits over the all-metal hip implants, which were recalled in 2010. Studies show nearly half of the implants fail and need replacement within only a few years. They also have a tendency to shed toxic metal debris in patients’ bodies.
According to the story, Rothaban’s physician believes his implant caused a tumor in his leg.
Rothaban received the implant in 2006 at the age of 54, because of wear-and-tear on his joints as a result of his decades as a special forces paratrooper. He began suffering chronic pain in subsequent years, and by 2011 was unable to climb stairs or stand for long periods of time.
He hadn’t initially planned to sue DePuy, but changed his mind after finding out that a British surgeon tried to warn the company about potential problems in 2005.
The report quotes Rothaban as saying: “I am quite capable of looking after myself but a lot of these devices went to older people, in quite difficult situations, who may find it more difficult than me to take action …What makes me angry is that there were warnings about this component a year before I had my operation. They were warned that they would fail and they continued marketing them until 2010.”
In the first of more than 10,000 lawsuits involving the hip implants to go to trial, a Los Angeles jury recently awarded $8.3 million to one of the implant recipients.
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:
https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-politics-22013568
