Lawsuits have been filed by people who were injured or needed surgery for problems with the LINX Reflux Device, a magnetic implant for the treatment of GERD and acid reflux.
What You Can Do & How We Can Help
The Schmidt Firm, PLLC is currently accepting LINX Reflux Device injury cases in all 50 states. If you were injured by a LINX Reflux Management System or needed surgery due to side effects, 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.
LINX Reflux Device Pulled Off Global Market
In September 2025, Bloomberg reported that Johnson & Johnson will pull the LINX Reflux Management System off the global market, but keep selling it in the United States. This has alarmed some surgeons who rely on the device.
The LINX Reflux Management System will be withdrawn from non-U.S. markets by March 2026, but Johnson & Johnson did not provide a list of countries where the device will be withdrawn.
What Happened?
In a letter to doctors on September 17, Johnson & Johnson said it would stop selling the LINX Reflux Management System outside the U.S. by March 2026. This decision was due to “commercial reasons,” and not concerns about safety or efficacy, according to the letter.
LINX Reflux Device Recalled in 2018
The LINX Reflux Device was recalled in April 2018 after reports of the magnets separating inside the body, leading to device failure and patients who needed another surgery to remove the LINX device.
The Class II recall included 9,131 LINX implants, and warned about a manufacturing error “which may allow a bead component to separate from an adjacent wire link. This condition may result in a discontinuous or open LINX device.”
Have LINX Reflux Device Lawsuits Been Filed?
Yes. After the LINX Reflux Device was recalled in 2018, lawsuits were filed by people who were injured or needed surgery when the magnetic beads separated, leading to device failure.
What Companies Are Being Sued?
Lawsuits for people who were injured by the LINX Reflux Management System have been filed against Torax Medical, the company that created the device. Lawsuits were also filed against Ethicon, a subsidiary of Johnson & Johnson that acquired Torax Medical in 2017.
Other Treatment Options for Reflux and GERD
Acid reflux and GERD can usually be treated effectively with medications like proton-pump inhibitors (PPIs). Very few patients suffer from reflux that is so severe that a LINX Reflux Management System is an appropriate treatment option, due to the serious safety risks.
LINX Reflux Device Injuries & Safety Risks
The safety risks of the LINX Reflux Management System include both the general risks of surgical procedures, as well as injuries related to the device itself. These side effects range from minor hiccups to life-threatening complications like device failure, organ damage, surgery, and death.
According to the Instructions For Use, injuries related to the implant may include:
- Problems swallowing (also called “dysphagia” and “achalasia”)
- Bleeding
- Death
- Decreased appetite
- Device erosion
- Device explant and needing another re-operation
- Device failure
- Device migration (device does not appear to be at implant site)
- Diarrhea
- Early satiety (feeling full soon after eating food)
- Esophageal spasms
- Flatulence
- Food impaction
- Hiccups
- Inability to belch or vomit
- Increased belching
- Infection
- Impaired gastric motility
- Injury to the esophagus, spleen, or stomach
- Nausea
- Painful swallowing (odynophagia)
- Organ damage caused by device migration
- Pain
- Peritonitis
- Pneumothorax
- Regurgitation
- Stomach bloating
- Vomiting
- Weight loss
- Worsening of preoperative symptoms (including but not limited to dysphagia or heartburn)
- And more
Serious Health Risks Linked to LINX Reflux Device
Some of the most serious injuries involve migration of a LINX Reflux Device, where the magnetic beads or wire moves away from its original position. Patients may need another surgery if this occurs. There are also reports of separation of the magnetic beads, tissue damage or erosion, damage to the esophagus and internal organs, scar-tissue formation, and other complications.
What If I Need an MRI?
The LINX Reflux Device is made of metal beads and wire, so patients cannot undergo powerful Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI) scans due to the risk of severe injury or death. If the patient requires an MRI, they must undergo laparoscopic surgery to remove the LINX implant.
FDA Expands Approval of LINX Reflux Device
The letter did not include details about what countries would be affected by the market withdrawal, but it comes at an unusual time.
The LINX Reflux Management System has been on the market in the U.S. since 2012, with no other similar devices on the market. It is commonly used in patients with esophageal cancer experiencing reflux. The FDA also recently expanded the label for LINX in August 2024 to include patients with Barrett’s Esophagus (BE).
What is the LINX Reflux Implant?
The LINX Reflux Management System is a flexible ring of magnetic beads that are surgically implanted around the bottom of the esophagus to prevent reflux.
The LINX Reflux Device is a ring of magnetic beads that surround a muscle located at the bottom of the esophagus where it meets the stomach. This muscle is called the “lower esophageal sphincter,” and it acts like a valve to control the flow of food into the stomach, and to prevent stomach contents from flowing back up into the esophagus.
How Does It Work?
The ring of magnets in the LINX System can be adjusted to keep the muscle closed, preventing stomach acid from flowing back into the esophagus, while allowing normal expansion for belching or vomiting.
What is GERD?
The LINX Reflux Management System is designed to treat severe Gastroesophageal Reflux Disease (GERD) (also known as acid reflux) that cannot be treated with medications alone.
In people with GERD, the lower esophageal sphincter is too weak and fails to prevent stomach acid and contents from flowing back up into the esophagus. This can cause symptoms like heartburn, chest pain, regurgitation of food or liquid, coughing, tooth damage, and more.
Do I Have a LINX Reflux Implant Lawsuit?
The Schmidt Firm, PLLC is currently accepting LINX Reflux Device injury cases in all 50 states. If you were injured by a LINX Reflux Management System or needed surgery due to side effects, 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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