DePuy Hip Replacement Recall Affecting Patients around the World

Wheeling, WVJohnson & Johnson's DePuy Orthopaedics unit's hip replacement recall has affected patients across the globe, including a West Virginia woman who claims she developed unsafe levels of chromium and cobalt as a result of the device.

According to the Courthouse News Service, Delores Hatcher claims in a federal lawsuit that she underwent full hip replacement surgery in November 2009, but experienced severe pain after she received the DePuy Pinnacle metal-on-metal implant device.

The pain allegedly limited the woman's ability to walk, and last April, Hatcher's physician reportedly discovered the higher-than-normal levels of the metals.

With many physicians having stopped using the metal-on-metal devices and the US Food and Drug Administration recently calling for more information about the implants, Hatcher is claiming that DePuy and Johnson & Johnson hid the product's defects when marketing it to patients and medical personnel.

Hatcher is also reportedly suing for product liability and accuses DePuy of unjust enrichment, claiming the maker was charged by the US Attorney's Office for illegally paying kickbacks to doctors for marketing purposes, according to the news source.

The West Virginia woman is not the only person struggling with the faulty implants, however, as a retired civil servant in the UK claims she was in so much pain after receiving the implant that she had it taken out and replaced with a ceramic joint last July.

The Northern Echo reports that 64-year-old Margaret Davie received the Pinnacle implant in April 2008, two years before DePuy recalled a similar device due to reports of high failure rates, and potential tissue and bone damage resulting from the devices.

Davie has reportedly joined a growing list of UK residents lining up to file claims against DePuy, alleging similar transgressions that the company hid potential side effects of the device, according to the news source.

Finally, in the Australian state of Tasmania, 20 local residents are reportedly involved in a federal class-action lawsuit against DePuy over its ASR hip implant device, according to the Tasmania Mercury.

The news source reports that approximately 5,500 Australians are estimated to have received the device—which was recalled last year—this decade.

"Clients are seeking damages for pain and suffering and economic loss," an attorney for the plaintiffs told the news provider.