Power Morcellator Activist Protests FDA Failure to Ban Uterine Morcellation, Bernstein Liebhard LLP Reports

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Nov 03, 2014, 12:16 ET

NEW YORK, Nov. 3, 2014 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- The physician who has done so much to shed light on the dangers associated with surgical tools called power morcellators (http://www.morcellatorlawsuit2015.com/ ) has written to the U.S. Food & Drug Administration (FDA) protesting its lack of action in regards to the devices, Bernstein Liebhard LLP reports. In an email sent to the agency on November 1^st and posted at Change.org, Dr. Hooman Noorchashm writes that he has been informed by "reliable sources" that the FDA is planning to institute a "registry of outcomes" or a "probationary period" in order to avoid imposing a power morcellator ban. The strongly-worded missive goes on to remind the FDA that numerous women have died as a result of uterine cancers that were allegedly spread via morcellation, a tragedy which Dr. Noorchashm characterizes as completely avoidable. He accuses the FDA of bowing to industry pressure, and concludes by stating that the failure to institute a power morcellator ban will "fully compromise the agency's mission and integrity."

Dr. Noorchashm began working for a power morcellator ban last fall, after his wife, Dr. Amy Reed, was diagnosed with Stage 4 uterine cancer shortly after she underwent a hysterectomy to remove fibroids. Her physicians have told Dr. Reed that her cancer was likely spread via the power morcellator used in her surgery. A Change.org petition to ban uterine morcellation that was launched by the couple last year has so far collected more than 86,000 signatures.

"Over the past year, our Firm has heard from numerous women who were allegedly harmed by power morcellators. Dr. Noorchashm is to be commended for working so tirelessly to bring attention to this important public health issue," says Bernstein Liebhard LLP, a nationwide law firm representing victims of defective drugs and medical devices. The Firm is now offering free legal reviews to women who allegedly experienced the spread of undiagnosed uterine sarcomas or other cancers due to power morcellators.

Power Morcellators and Cancer

Power morcellators are used in minimally-invasive uterine surgeries to cut up tissue so that it can be removed via a small abdominal incision. On April 17, 2014, a U.S. Food & Drug Administration (FDA) alert discouraged doctors from using the devices in laparoscopic hysterectomy and fibroid removals, because of the risk that they could promote the spread of undetected uterine sarcomas and other cancers. These cancers are difficult to detect prior to surgery, and their dissemination during uterine morcellation can quickly upstage the cancer and significantly reduce a woman's chances for long-term survival, the FDA said.

In July, the FDA convened a meeting of outside advisors to discuss the risks and benefits associated with uterine morcellation. During the meeting, Drs. Noorchashm and Reed, as well as many others, urged the agency to ban the use of power morcellators in uterine surgery.

Just weeks later, Johnson & Johnson announced a market withdrawal for three power morcellators manufactured by its Ethicon, Inc. unit. The company said it had decided to remove the morcellators because of the uncertainty surrounding their safety. A number of hospitals around the country have also banned the devices or placed strict limits on their use, while some insurers have decided to no longer cover uterine morcellation.

Alleged victims of uterine cancers spread via a power morcellator may be entitled to compensation from the manufacturer of the device used in their surgery. To learn more about filing a morcellator lawsuit, please visit Bernstein Liebhard LLP's website. To obtain a free legal review, please call (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.

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