You could be eligible to participate in a DePuy ASR hip replacement settlement if your implant has failed and you have had a revision surgery since March 2015.

Johnson & Johnson’s DePuy ASR metal-on-metal hip implant has been the subject of thousands of hip implant lawsuits since the FDA announced a voluntary recall in August 2010.

An estimated 37,000 of the defective components were implanted in patients within the U.S. A report from the UK found that 13 percent of the ASR hips required revision surgeries.

DePuy ASR Hip Replacement Settlement Reasons

Like other metal-on-metal hip implants, the ASR causes tiny metal shavings to be shed into the body, resulting in high cobalt or chromium levels in the blood. Metal poisoning, also known as metallosis, can lead to tissue death for the tissue surrounding the implant. The only way to reduce the poisoning is to have hip revision surgery to remove the offending metal parts.

Side effects from metal-on-metal hip systems can be devastating. The DePuy ASR hip replacement settlement was prompted because recipients have suffered complications such as:

• Degenerative heart disease or cardiomyopathy
• Impaired renal function
• Thyroid dysfunction
• Pseudotumors around the hip implant, causing pressure and inflammation
• Cancer due to toxic metals entering the system
• Dislocated hip
• Reduction in bone strength or structure, causing easy fracturing
• Complete failure of the hip implant requiring replacement soon after initial surgery

All of these complications are the same problems reported with the DePuy Pinnacle hip replacement system, which was the ASR’s metal-on-metal predecessor.

The FDA warns recipients of metal-on-metal hip implants to watch for the following symptoms of device failure:

• Pain while moving or walking
• Swelling in the hip or groin area
• Lumps near the hip
• Dislocation, or feeling the joint has slipped out of place
• Squeaking or popping noises while moving

Nearly 8,000 hip implant lawsuits have been filed regarding the ASR XL Acetabular System and the Pinnacle Acetabular Cup system.

In the course of one trial, attorneys provided an internal Johnson & Johnson memo indicating that 40 percent of those who underwent ASR hip implant surgery would need revision surgery within only five years.

Johnson & Johnson management allegedly knew the ASR hip implant’s design was defective.

In initial lawsuits regarding the ASR, Johnson & Johnson agreed to pay a combined $600,000 to settle three lawsuits in 2012. Those three patients had hip revision surgeries after their DePuy ASR systems failed. Each of them had experienced pain, bone damage and other adverse complications.

At this time, Johnson & Johnson has paid $4 billion to settle thousands of ASR hip replacement lawsuits.

The DePuy ASR hip replacement settlement that was just announced requires legal expertise to maneuver, but qualifying patients could receive up to $500,000 each for their DePuy ASR troubles.

Time is running out to file your claim. Obtain your portion of the latest DePuy ASR hip replacement settlement if you have received hip revision surgery since March 2015.