Hysterectomy Cancer Lawsuit: Bernstein Liebhard Notes Report Indicating Johnson & Johnson Was Warned About Morcellator Cancer Risks in 2006

NEW YORK, May 30, 2014 /PRNewswire/ -- As its investigation of morcellator cancer lawsuits (http://www.gynecaremorcellatorlawsuit.com/) continues, Bernstein Liebhard LLP notes the publication of a new report which indicates that Johnson & Johnson was warned about uterine cancer risks potentially associated with power morcellators eight years before a warning from the U.S. Food & Drug Administration (FDA) prompted the company to suspend sales of certain devices marketed by its Ethicon, Inc. unit. According to The Pittsburgh Business Times, Dr. Robert Lamparter, then a pathologist at Evangelical Community Hospital in Lewisburg, Pennsylvania, wrote to Johnson & Johnson in 2006, imploring the company to "reconsider the risk to the patient" posed by the use of power morcellators in surgeries to remove uterine fibroids. In another of several emails and letters written to Johnson & Johnson that year, the now-retired Dr. Lamparter voiced concern that using a morcellator when a uterine tumor was present "may lead to dissemination of the malignant tissue."

"This report is certainly a revelation, as it indicates that Johnson & Johnson may have been specifically notified of the problems associated with power morcellators long before the FDA issued its alert last month," says Bernstein Liebhard LLP, a nationwide law firm representing victims of defective drugs and medical devices. The Firm is now offering free morcellator lawsuit reviews to women who may have experienced the spread of undiagnosed uterine sarcoma and other cancers due to uterine morcellation.

Morcellator Cancer Risks

Power morcellators are used during laparoscopic hysterectomies and fibroid removals to shred tissue in order to facilitate its removal through a small abdominal incision. Earlier this month, Johnson & Johnson announced it would suspend sales of three Ethicon devices, the Gynecare Morcellex, Morcellex Sigma Tissue Morcellator System, and Gynecare X-Tract Tissue Morcellator products, after the FDA issued an alert discouraging the use of morcellation in uterine surgeries.

According to the April 17^th alert, an FDA review indicated that power morcellation can promote the spread of undiagnosed uterine sarcomas beyond the uterus. Roughly 1 in 350 women who undergo fibroid removal may also suffer from undiagnosed uterine cancers, the agency said. The alert also indicated that the FDA will convene an advisory panel meeting later this summer in order to look into the matter further, and provide recommendations for mitigating the risks potentially associated with power morcellation.

Women who may have experienced the spread of uterine sarcomas or other cancers following uterine morcellation may be eligible to file a morcellator cancer lawsuit against the company that manufactured the device used in their surgery. To learn more about filing a morcellator lawsuit, please visit Bernstein Liebhard LLP's website. Free case reviews can also be obtained by calling (888) 340-4807.

About Bernstein Liebhard LLP 

Bernstein Liebhard LLP is a New York-based law firm exclusively representing injured persons in complex individual and class action lawsuits nationwide since 1993. As a national law firm, Bernstein Liebhard LLP possesses all of the legal and financial resources required to successfully challenge billion dollar pharmaceutical and medical device companies. As a result, our attorneys and legal staff have been able to recover more than $3 billion on behalf of our clients. The Firm has been named by The National Law Journal to the Plaintiffs' Hot List, recognizing the top plaintiffs firms in the country, for the past 12 consecutive years. Bernstein Liebhard LLP is the only firm in the country to be named to this prestigious list every year since it was first published in 2003.

Bernstein Liebhard LLP represents the victims of defective drugs and medical devices on a contingency-fee basis, and our clients are never expected to pay attorney fees unless their case results in a successful recovery on their behalf. New York State's contingency fee cap rules generally limit those fees to 33 1/3% of the total recovery. As a result, the Firm's fees can be significantly lower than those assessed by attorneys in other states, which depending on the law may amount to as much as 40% or more of a plaintiff's recovery.

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ATTORNEY ADVERTISING. © 2014 Bernstein Liebhard LLP. The law firm responsible for this advertisement is Bernstein Liebhard LLP, 10 East 40th Street, New York, New York 10016, (888) 340-4807. Prior results do not guarantee or predict a similar outcome with respect to any future matter.

Contact Information: 
Felecia L. Stern, Esq.
Bernstein Liebhard LLP
info (at) consumerinjurylawyers (dot) com
http://www.gynecaremorcellatorlawsuit.com/ 
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SOURCE Bernstein Liebhard LLP