(Updated April 13, 2018)

DePuy knee, elbow, and hip replacements have a history of causing side effects for patients, often leading to painful and expensive revision surgeries. These issues have prompted recalls and lawsuits, some of which have led to hundreds of millions of dollars in compensation for patients.

If you have had a DePuy joint replacement implanted at any point since 2013, and you required or require a revision surgery on that joint replacement, you may be owed money. Contact us for a free legal consultation.

About DePuy and Johnson & Johnson

Founded in Indiana in 1895, DePuy Orthopaedics is an international orthopedics and medical device company acquired by Johnson & Johnson in 1998. It is comprised of four brands:

  • DePuy Orthopaedics (joint replacements and other prostheses)
  • DePuy Spine (products that aim to fuse the spine and repair spinal fractures)
  • DePuy Mitek (products for sports-related injuries and soft tissue damage)
  • Codman (neurosurgical products)

DePuy Orthopaedics is somewhat infamous for its hip replacement problems, which have generated more than 10,000 lawsuits.

Parent company Johnson & Johnson is no stranger to litigation, either. It currently faces a mountain of lawsuits over its talc products, as well as prescription drugs like Risperdal and Xarelto.

DePuy Knee Implants Fail Often and Early

DePuy’s ATTUNE Total Knee Arthroplasty system (TKA) has been linked to a high risk of premature failure, causing some patients to undergo revision surgery in less than two years.

Orthopedic surgeons and patients alike have complained of the unusually high premature failure rate of the implant. As of June 2017, there have been 1,400 reports of device failure in the FDA’s Manufacturer and User Facility Device Experience (MAUDE) database. Six hundred thirty-three of these reports cited revision surgery.

Patients who required revision surgery after receiving the ATTUNE knee replacement are now filing lawsuits against DePuy.

DePuy Knee Implant Side Effects

Patients who notice the following symptoms may be suffering from premature knee replacement failure:

  • Pain
  • Instability
  • Swelling
  • Stiffness
  • Decreased range of motion

In incidents of premature implant failure, patients often must undergo revision surgery, which is typically more invasive and painful than the initial surgery.

If you received the ATTUNE TKA system in 2013 or later and required revision surgery as a result of the tibial component part loosening, you may be eligible to file a lawsuit against DePuy. Contact us to learn more.

J&J Recalls DePuy Elbow Implants

Johnson & Johnson recalled its DePuy Synthes Radial Head Prosthesis System, a defective elbow implant that can cause serious complications and injuries for patients who have received it. This is a Class I recall, which the FDA defines as “a situation in which there is a reasonable probability that the use of or exposure to a violative product will cause serious adverse health consequences or death.”

According to the official recall (dated December 30, 2016), the implant’s radial stem can loosen at the stem bone interface. J&J hasn’t been able to figure out which factors are causing the issue; as a result they have pulled the prostheses from the global market.

But a recall alone won’t help patients who have already suffered pain, soft tissue damage, or even post-op fractures as a result of these issues. Many recipients of DePuy elbow implants will want to file lawsuits to recover medical bills, lost wages, and other expenses.

DePuy Elbow Implant Side Effects

The official elbow implant recall states that the loosening of these radial stems can cause serious and painful side effects, including the following:

  • Device loosening
  • Osteolysis (the destruction or disappearance of bone tissue)
  • Poor joint mechanics
  • Pain
  • Post-operative bone fracture
  • Soft tissue damage
  • Soft tissue irritation

Many patients with these elbow implants will need revision surgeries to correct these problems. Thankfully, they may be able to force Johnson & Johnson to pay for these surgeries through legal action.

Hip Replacement Recalls, Lawsuits

It’s not just knee and elbow replacements that can cause problems among patients. Hip replacements made by DePuy and others have also been subject to recalls and lawsuits.

DePuy Hip Implants

In August 2010, DePuy announced it was recalling two hip replacement systems—the ASR Hip Resurfacing System and the ASR XL Acetabular System—due to unwanted side effects like metal poisoning.

J&J said it would pay $2.5 billion to resolve 8,000 ASR hip replacement lawsuits.

These hip issues led to thousands of lawsuits filed by affected patients. In November 2013, J&J announced it would pay $2.5 billion to resolve about 8,000 ASR lawsuits. (That settlement sum included $250,000 for each patient to cover a revision surgery.)

Pinnacle Hip Implants

DePuy’s Pinnacle hip implants have caused similar side effects to the ASR models and generated thousands of lawsuits by affected patients. In March 2016, a jury in Dallas, Texas awarded $502 million to patients who said their failed Pinnacle devices had caused pain and would require (or had required) revision surgeries. (A judge later reduced this award to $150 million.)

In another bellwether trial that came to a close in December 2016, a Texas jury awarded $1 billion to six plaintiffs who needed revision surgeries because of painful side effects caused by their Pinnacle hip implants. According to Reuters, these side effects included tissue death and bone erosion. (A judge later cut this award in half.)

There are still thousands more Pinnacle cases currently on trial in North Texas courts as an MDL (multi-district litigation).

We Can Help

Due to the debilitating nature of these side effects, many patients will file lawsuits against J&J to recover medical bills, lost wages, and other expenses.

If you have require(d) revision surgery because of a faulty DePuy implant, you may be eligible for a lawsuit.

If you have had a DePuy joint replacement implanted at any point since 2013, and you required or require a revision surgery as a result, you may be eligible for a lawsuit. Please contact us as soon as possible to learn your rights.

A lawsuit could help you recover medical bills, lost wages, and other expenses related to your device’s unforeseen side effects. To date, our firm has recovered more than $5 billion for our clients.