Almost Half of DePuy’s Hip Implants Will Fail, Say U.K. Surgeons

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
(Free-Press-Release.com) April 15, 2011 -- The failure rate of the recalled DePuy hip replacement systems ranges from 21 percent after 4 years to 49 percent after 6 years, says a British orthopedists’ group. According to The British Orthopedic Association and the British Hip Society, the failure rate of the ASR™ XL Acetabular System is four times what Johnson & Johnson’s DePuy unit said at the time of the recall.

DePuy Orthopaedics recalled two hip systems in August 2010 because of a high failure rate. At the time of the recall, the company claimed that the failure rate of the ASR™ XL Acetabular System was 13 percent after 5 years.

New data shows a significantly higher failure rate than what the company claimed. The data is based on findings from four surgeons in the U.K.

“It’s probably the best indicator so far of what the failure rate is likely to be,” said John Skinner, an orthopedic surgeon and chairman of the group’s expert advisory group on metal bearing hips. “As far as I can tell, it’s reliable.”

According to Bloomberg, Skinner said the data couldn’t be published until it undergoes required peer review.

DePuy Orthopaedics, which is responsible for hip implants and spinal-care, brought in $5.59 billion in sales in 2010. According to Bloomberg, the money accounts for 9.1 percent of Johnson & Johnson’s total revenue.

About 37,000 ASR™ XL Acetabular Systems were implanted in the U.S. Some 10,000 recalled hip systems were implanted in the U.K. This number includes about 5,000 ASR™ Hip Resurfacing Systems, which were only available outside the U.S.

Data showing the higher failure rate was presented at the British Hip Society Annual Conference last month.

Johnson & Johnson is facing hundreds of lawsuits for failed hip devices. Claimants are seeking compensation for medical costs, lost wages, and pain and suffering.

Article Resource, www.depuyhipimplantrecall.org/news/half-depuy-hip-implants-will-fail/

50 failure rate     DePuy Hip Implant Failure     Hip Implant Lawsuit     Hip Replacement Recall