MEDICO LEGAL M A G A Z I N E
NEWS
MEDICO -LEGAL NEWS: By Lisa Cheyne, Medico-Legal Manager, SpecialistInfo
A round-up of news in the industry for the third quarter of 2018.
Claimants lose mass action “metal-on-metal” hip replacement court case at the High Court: Gee & Others v DePuy International Limited [2018] EWHC 1208 (QB) In May, Mrs Justice Andrews ruled that manufacturer DePuy was not liable to the 312 patients who claimed they had been injured by the implants. The Pinnacle Ultamet replacement was withdrawn from sale in the UK in 2013 and 312 people said they had had to have remedial surgery after it had failed prematurely. Lawyers for claimants, Leigh Day, alleged it had released metal particles, damaging the surrounding tissues and causing pain, difficulty walking, swelling and numbness or loss of sensation in the leg. Mrs Justice Andrews said they had failed to prove the hip joint: "did not meet the level of safety that the public generally were entitled to expect at the time when it entered the market in 2002"
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Last year, the Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency said every patient with a metal-onmetal prosthetic hip should have regular check-ups to spot any complications. About 56,000 UK patients have had a metal-on-metal hip device implanted. Read more: http://fy68w4dd72j1r1z33vbuky14-wpengine. netdna-ssl.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/05/PinnacleMOM-final-approved.pdf
