December 5, 2012 — DePuy Orthopaedics, Inc. is facing 3,202 lawsuits involving the Pinnacle hip implant, according to a Master Case List published on November 30. All of the lawsuits allege that the metal-on-metal design of the implant is inherently defective, and DePuy did not adequately warn about the risk. The lawsuits are centralized in a federal Multi-District Litigation (MDL) located in the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Texas. Judge Fitzwater has scheduled the first trial in September 2014.
Litigation involving the DePuy ASR has received more attention than the Pinnacle, but both implants have a very similar design and have injured thousands of people. The FDA approved the ASR based on a 510(k) application, which allowed DePuy to avoid conducting safety studies because the ASR was “substantially equivalent” to the Pinnacle.
Both the ASR and the Pinnacle are metal-on-metal hip implants, which have been linked to a wide variety of severe, debilitating side effects. After DePuy recalled the ASR, they offered to pay for revision surgeries. DePuy has not recalled the Pinnacle, they are not paying for revision surgeries.
DePuy alleges that the failure rate of the Pinnacle is similar to comparable metal hip implants. However, they have not released statistics. The FDA does not track injuries associated with medical implants.
The problem with metal-on-metal hip implants (as opposed to plastic or ceramic designs) is that the metal stem and cup grind together when the patient walks. Over time, tiny metal particles of chromium and cobalt form a residue around the implant. This has been linked to the following complications:
- Severe, chronic hip pain
- Metal poisoning (metallosis)
- Irritation and inflammation of the hip joint
- Non-cancerous pseudo-tumors
- Dislocation of the hip joint
- Tissue death
- Bone loss
- Need for revision surgery
- And more
Do I have a DePuy Pinnacle Hip Implant Lawsuit?
The Schmidt Firm, PLLC is currently accepting DePuy Pinnacle hip implant induced injury cases in all 50 states. If you or somebody you know has been injured by a defective hip replacement, you should contact our lawyers immediately for a free case consultation. Please use the form below to contact our Defective Medical Device Litigation Group or call toll free 24 hours a day at (866) 920-0753.
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