DePuy warned over faulty hips years before recall

Medical devices firm DePuy continued to market all-metal hip implants for more than three years after an Irish doctor warned of their dangers.

The Johnson & Johnson subsidiary advertised its metal-on-metal hip implants despite Belfast orthopaedic surgeon David Beverland informing one of the manufacturer’s executives that they were causing problems.

Revelations over the warnings have appeared in a court case in Los Angeles in which Loren Kransky, 65, is suing DePuy for failing to warm him the hip could be faulty.

The ASR device was introduced to Ireland in 2003. More than 3,500 patients here received the implants between 2003 and 2010 when DePuy finally issued a recall of the product.

A number of High Court claims by Irish patients are already under way. Their case was strengthened after the New York Times published revelations one type of the defective devices were marketed in Europe after the US food and drug administration rejected their sale in America in 2009.

In the Los Angeles case, documents allege Dr Beverland emailed DePuy engineer Graham Isaac in May 2006 outlining his concerns.

Of the 3,516 Irish patients who received the implants, about 400 have had them replaced. Even though the HSE and Irish Medicines Board were aware of the “higher than expected” failure rate, they continued to advocate the use of the implants for many years, the Solicitors Advice Bureau claims.