June 3, 2014 — In an exclusive report, the Pittsburgh Business Times says that a doctor warned Johnson & Johnson that their power morcellator device could spread cancer in 2006, eight years before the products were pulled off the market.
Dr. Robert Lamparter, a pathologist at Evangelical Community Hospital in Pennsylvania, sent letters to Dr. David Robinson, who was a medical director of Ethicon Women’s Health and Urology at the time. Lamparter asked Johnson & Johnson to “reconsider the risk to the patient,” and he warned:
“When the operative procedure is a standard hysterectomy, no damage is done. If a morcellation is done, the patient’s survival is jeopardized.”
Johnson & Johnson agreed to add warnings about the risk of spreading cancer. In prepared statements sent to the Pittsburgh Business Times, Johnson & Johnson said that power morcellators have “always included cautions in the instructions for use about the potential spread of malignant or suspected malignant tissues.” However, many lawsuits allege that women and doctors were not warned about this risk until recently.
In April, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) advised against using power morcellators in hysterectomies due to the risk of spreading undiagnosed cancer. They estimated that one in 350 women who has a hysterectomy to remove fibroids actually has undiagnosed uterine cancer or leiomyosarcoma (LMS). If the uterus is removed intact, there is little risk of spreading cancer. If a power morcellator is used, it can leave behind cancerous cells — essentially “seeding” cancer throughout a woman’s pelvis and abdomen, greatly reducing her chances of survival.
Do I have a Morcellator Lawsuit?
The Schmidt Firm, PLLC is currently accepting power morcellator induced injury cases in all 50 states. If you or somebody you know has been injured by uterine cancer or leiomyosarcoma (LMS), 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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