More Canadians Join DePuy Lawsuit

Ontario, CanadaMore Canadians have decided to join a DePuy lawsuit against the manufacturer of artificial hips, reports the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation.

In August, DePuy Orthopaedics, a division of Johnson & Johnson, recalled its ASR series hip implants after it received a significant number of reports of patients needing a second hip replacement, the news provider said.

According to the company, data from 2010 indicates that 12 percent of patients who received the ASR device needed revision surgery just five years after receiving the implant.

Zoey Nicoles, 37, received the hip replacement in 2009 after he was injured in a car accident more than 15 years ago, according to the news source. Nicoles was extremely surprised to find out that the new device had issues.

"I received a letter from Horizon Health stating that the device that I have…there's been a voluntary recall on it and I should contact my doctor," Nicoles told the news source. "I was pretty shocked. I said you've gotta be joking me. I was just pretty much floored. I had put it off for so long, knowing that a person can only get so many hip replacements—they're supposed to be good for 20 to 25 years."

One lawyer, whose firm is helping to file the class-action lawsuit against the company, estimated that 1,500 to 4,000 of the hip implants were used throughout Canada, according to the news provider.