Product News and Recalls

CEO may have ties to recalled implants

New Johnson & Johnson CEO Alex Gorsky is already facing some questions regarding his possible involvement with a recalled line of metal-on-metal hip implants, according to a recent report in the Newark Times Ledger.

Gorsky, who started with the company in 1988, is replacing outgoing CEO William Weldon.

Weldon’s departure follows a series of recalls, including medications and devices, that were very damaging for the company. But the Times Ledger article states: “Some critics have already questioned whether Gorsky, who ran the medical device business, had a role in the marketing of the faulty ASR — articular surface replacement — hip device.”

The device has led to thousands of lawsuits over its high early failure rate, documented in several studies, as well as disabling injuries from metal debris breaking off and getting into patients’ soft tissues.

According to the report, nearly 30,000 people in the U.S. received the devices, which have both a ball and socket coated with metal. The company eventually recalled them in 2010, but that recall came after years of complaints and data showing nearly 12 percent of the patients who got the implants needed a second painful, expensive surgery to replace them.

The report says some surgeons and regulators complain that the company waited too long to start the recall.

Johnson & Johnson is also dealing with lawsuits over its transvaginal mesh implants, used to treat pelvic organ prolapse and stress urinary incontinence. One study showed that approximately 10 percent of women experienced mesh erosion within 12 months of surgery to treat pelvic organ prolapse.

If you’ve suffered injury as a result of getting a transvaginal mesh implant or a DePuy Orthopaedics all-metal hip implant, contact Lopez McHugh for a free consultation.

See the report here: https://www.nj.com/business/index.ssf/2012/04/johnson_johnsons_ceo-in-waitin_1.html