Power Morcellator Critic Vows to Carry On Despite Threat of Legal Action, Bernstein Liebhard LLP Reports

NEW YORK, Sept. 9, 2014 /PRNewswire/ -- A Massachusetts surgeon who has done so much to bring national attention to the dangers of power morcellators (http://www.drugbot.com/morcellator/) says he will continue to push for a recall of the devices, despite being threatened with legal action by one of their manufacturers, Bernstein Liebhard LLP reports.  In an interview with MedPage Today, Dr. Hooman Noorchashm said he was "not fazed at all" by a letter threatening legal action he recently received from German medical device manufacturer, Karl Storz Group.  Among other things, the August 22^nd letter took issue with a series of publically-published, "accusatory" emails Dr. Noorchashm sent the company requesting a recall of its Rotocut morcellator. In a letter dated August 22^nd, officials with Karl Storz said they "would not hesitate to take appropriate legal actions to protect our good name and our rights" if he continues to claim that the device caused the spread of undetected cancers in any uterine morcellation patient.

Despite these threats, Dr. Noorchashm said he won't back down, telling MedPage Today that it is "well within my rights as a citizen of the United States to express my opinion," and "well within my rights to be absolutely off-the-scale disturbed by the fact that these people knew about this hazard and allowed people, including my wife, to be subject to it."

"Without Dr. Noorchashm's work, it's doubtful that the risk associated with uterine morcellation would be getting the attention it deserves.  There can be no doubt that he has had an impact," 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.

Dr. Noorchashm began working for a power morcellator recall last fall, after his wife, Dr. Amy Reed, was diagnosed with Stage 4 uterine cancer shortly after she underwent a hysterectomy to remove fibroids. He claims that the Rotocut morcellator was used in his wife's surgery. A Change.org petition to ban uterine morcellation that was launched by the couple last year has so far collected more than 84,000 signatures.

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, a power morcellator recall was announced by Johnson & Johnson for three devices manufactured by its Ethicon, Inc. unit. The company said it had decided to recall the morcellators because of the uncertainty surrounding their safety.

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 http://www.drugbot.com/morcellator/lawsuit/ 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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