WASHINGTON, April 24, 2014 /PRNewswire/ -- The US Drug Watchdog is going to increase their national initiative focused on identifying recipients of all-metal hip implants because the group is not just worried about the costs associated with a all-metal hip implant replacement, they are also extremely worried about what elevated levels of cobalt, and chromium will do to a recipient long term.  For more information recipients of an all-metal hip implant can call the US Drug Watchdog anytime at 866-714-6466, or they can contact the group via their web site at http://USDrugWatchdog.Com.

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The US Drug Watchdog has dramatically increased their efforts to call attention to the issues related all-metal hip implant failures for potentially hundreds of thousands of US citizens, and the group intends to increase this effort even more. One of the biggest problems the group has encountered is the typical hip implant recipient they talk to, whose surgery occurred between 2000, and 2010 knows their device is an all-metal hip implant, they just don't know what type it is, or who made it. Further complicating the problem is when the recipient calls the orthopedic surgeon who did the surgery the doctor does not return the calls of the hip implant recipient, or the doctor's staff is uncooperative. http://USDrugWatchdog.Com

The US Drug Watchdog says, "We intend to radically change our efforts to identify more recipients of a metal on metal hip implant, because in our opinion only a fraction of recipients who have a failure, or symptoms of a premature failure have been identified to the courts, that are handling these various premature failure lawsuits. In addition to making suggestions about how to test for a premature failure, we will start including information related to deadlines, in which a recipient must be identified to the appropriate court, if they have any hope of being compensated by the medical device company that produced their potentially defective metal on metal hip implant." For more information recipients of a metal on metal hip implant are urged to contact the US Drug Watchdog at 866-714-6466. http://USDrugWatchdog.Com

Updates on litigation involving metal on metal hip implants manufactures that are being sued for premature failures from the US Drug Watchdog:

* DePuy Pinnacle Case Number U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Texas MDL#2244. Legal sources are now telling the US Drug Watchdog that in order to be compensated for a DePuy Pinnacle all metal hip implant a failure must have occurred that required revision surgery, or a medical doctor now must be recommending revision surgery because the device has failed, or because of metallosis has been diagnosed.

* Stryker Rejuvenate Modular & ABG II-recalled June 2012.  

* Biomet M2a Magnum Metal-on-Metal Hip Replacement U.S. District Court for the Northern District of California. (Case No. 3:12-cv-3476) filed on July 2nd 2012. The US Drug Watchdog says, "For some recipients of the Biomet M2A, and M2 Magnum there may be a looming statute of limitations issue of April 15th 2014 to get identified by the court if your hip implant has failed. Please call us for more information."  

* Wright Medical Technology, Inc., Conserve Hip Implant Products Liability Litigation ("MDL No. 2329"). This is now pending in the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Georgia.

The US Drug Watchdog says, "If you have a friend, or loved one who is a recipient of a metal-on metal hip implant that has already failed, or is showing symptoms of a failure, or if a recipient is concerned about a premature failure, please call us anytime at 866-714-6466. We want to make certain all metal hip implant recipients get meaningful help, and assistance." http://USDrugWatchdog.com

For additional attribution purposes please refer to the January 2013 notification by the US Food and Drug Administration about all metal hip implants: http://www.fda.gov/MedicalDevices/ProductsandMedicalProcedures/ImplantsandProsthetics/MetalonMetalHipImplants/ucm241766.htm

Media Contact: M. Thomas Martin, 866-714-6466

Read more news from US Drug Watchdog.

SOURCE US Drug Watchdog