Britain’s Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency has issued a warning that surgeons should stop using a particular type of hip implant because of “unacceptably high” rates of follow-up operations.
The report mentions that metal-on-metal implants – consisting of both a ball and a socket coated with metal – have come under scrutiny in both Britain and the United States recently over concerns about their early failure rate, and metal particles breaking off and releasing toxic metal ions into the bloodstream.
The U.S. Food and Drug Administration has scheduled a two-day hearing in June to evaluate the safety of the devices.
The report also cites a February investigation by the British Medical Journal and the British Broadcasting Corp., which found that the devices didn’t undergo clinical testing like that required of drugs before they were used in patients.
If you’ve received a DePuy Orthopaedics hip implant and suffered complications, you may be eligible for compensation beyond the medical expense reimbursement that the company is now offering. Contact Lopez McHugh for a free consultation.
See the report here: https://www.bloomberg.com/news/2012-04-03/u-k-agency-urges-ban-on-metal-hip-implant-combination-1-.html