Healthcare giant Johnson & Johnson has set aside more than $3 billion for costs related to the recall of its ASR hip implant that was designed and manufactured by its subsidiary DePuy Orthopaedics.  It appears as though Johnson & Johnson is finally recognizing the significant damage its defective product has caused thousands of patients.  Many individuals that received an ASR implant have experienced severe metal toxic poisoning, tissue and bone damage, pain, implant loosening, and implant dislocation.

The $3 billion charge will be set aside for medical costs, patients, and lawyers currently involved in the product liability litigation.

The company forecast 2012 earnings of $5.05 to $5.15 per share, fell below the Wall Street estimate of $5.21, largely due to the litigation revolving around artificial hips.

Parker McDonald, P.C. currently represents hundreds of clients across the countries who have received a defective hip implant. Contact us today if you, or a loved one, have received a defective hip implant.

The hip implant recovery team of Parker McDonald, P.C. and Harrison Davis Steakley Morrison, P.C. is proud to announce that Steve Harrison has been appointed to the Plaintiff’s Steering Committee In re: DePuy Orthopaedics, Inc. Pinnacle Hip Implant Products Liability Litigation (MDL Docket No. 2244) on January 9, 2012.  Mr. Harrison was appointed by the Honorable Judge James E. Kinkeade, who is presiding over the litigation in the United States District Court of the Northern District of Texas.

Since the Pinnacle MDL inception more than a hundred lawsuits have been filed against healthcare giant, Johnson & Johnson, and its subsidiary DePuy Orthopaedics, Inc. DePuy Pinnacle hip implant lawsuits were ordered to be centralized in the Northern District of Texas in May of 2011. The lawsuits involved raise the questions of whether the Pinnacle Acetabular System, a device used in hip replacement surgery, was defectively designed and/or manufactured and whether defendants failed to provide adequate warnings concerning the device. These implants have been sold nationwide since their release into the market in 2002.

Mr. Harrison has extensive experience in mass tort litigation and has been a trial lawyer for thirty-five years.  Steve is also the President of the Texas Trial Lawyers Association.

The hip implant recovery team of Parker McDonald and Harrison Davis Steakley Morrison has decades of experience representing victims of defective medical devices and pharmaceuticals. The firms currently represent hundreds of DePuy hip implant patients across the country and have established this website to provide the latest information for concerned hip implant patients and their families.

About Parker McDonald
Parker McDonald, P.C. offers comprehensive legal services for clients whose personal, business or property rights have been adversely affected. Built on years of trial experience, Parker McDonald lawyers are dedicated to a tradition of personal service and timely delivery of outstanding results. Parker McDonald has offices in Bedford, Fort Worth, Houston, Austin, and San Antonio.

Parker McDonald P.C. reported today that a new piece of federal legislation has been introduced that will impact how the Food and Drug Administration(FDA) oversees the approval of medical products. The sponsors of this bill, Senators Herb Kohl (D) of Wisconsin, Richard Blumenthal (D) of Connecticut, and Charles E. Grassley (R) of Iowa aim to increase manufacturer responsibility and patient safety.

Opponents of the current 510(k) clearance process, which does not require clinical testing, have long pushed for its amendmentin order to protect the safety of patients receiving medical devices. According to a recent article in The New York Times, “the new proposal . . . would broaden the FDA’s post approval oversight by giving it the authority to mandate that companies collect data on device performance.”

The current system allows manufacturers to market new devices without clinical testing if it is shown that new product is substantially equivalent to a device previously marketed in the United States.  The flaws of this system are evident in the increasing number of recalled medical devices, particularly metal-on-metal hip implants.

Senators proposing the bill directed letters to five manufacturing companies: Johnson & Johnson, Zimmer Holdings, Boston Scientific, C.R. Bard, and Medtronic.  The directive requests that each manufacturer produce information of how they track safety and recall processes regarding their medical devices.

The recall of the DePuy ASR hip replacement has caused a tremendous amount of concern that manufacturers are failing to do their part in tracking the effectiveness of their medical devices.More than 3,500 lawsuits have been filed against DePuy, a subsidiary of the healthcare giant, Johnson & Johnson. Patients have experienced adverse reactions within a few years of receiving the device, including implant loosening and metal toxicity.

DePuy recalled the ASR device in the United States after mounting complaints to the FDA and substantial information that indicated high failure rates associated with the implant. Shockingly, the recall in the U.S. came months after DePuy recalled the device from the Australian market.

The proposed bill aims to ultimately make manufacturers more conscious about their practices and the health of those patients who are implanted with their devices.

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About Parker McDonald
Parker McDonald, P.C. offers comprehensive legal services for clients whose personal, business or property rights have been adversely affected. Built on years of trial experience, Parker McDonald lawyers are dedicated to a tradition of personal service and timely delivery of outstanding results. Parker McDonald has offices in Bedford, Fort Worth, Houston, Austin, and San Antonio.

Fort Worth, Texas – Brad Parker and Preston Dugas of Parker McDonald, P.C. have each been recognized by their peers as a Fort Worth Top Attorney, as seen in Fort Worth, Texas magazine.

Parker has been repeatedly recognized as a Fort Worth Top Attorney since 2002. For more than 25 years, Parker’s practice has been centered almost exclusively in the areas of wrongful death, catastrophic personal injury, bad faith insurance practices, dangerous pharmaceuticals and medical devices, and commercial litigation. Parker has served as President of the Tarrant County Bar Association and is the recent President-Elect  of the Texas Trial Lawyers Association for 2012. He is a member of the Texas Trial Lawyers Association, Tarrant County Trial Lawyers Association, Dallas Trial Lawyers Association, Tarrant County Bar Association, and the American Association for Justice.

Dugas’ practice areas consist of plaintiff’s serious injury and wrongful death, dangerous pharmaceuticals and medical devices, property tax litigation, and commercial litigation. Dugas is a member of the Texas Trial Lawyers Association, Tarrant County Trial Lawyers Association, Tarrant County Bar Association, Tarrant County Young Lawyers Association, and Eldon B. Mahon Inn of Court. This is Dugas’ second consecutive year to receive this notable honor.

Dugas is heavily involved in the Tarrant County community as a volunteer for events such as the Tarrant County Back 2 School Roundup. He is also an At-Large Member of the Dallas St. Mary’s Law Alumni Chapter.

For more information on these Fort Worth attorneys, visit Parker McDonald.

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About Parker McDonald
Parker McDonald, P.C. offers comprehensive legal services for clients whose personal, business or property rights have been adversely affected. Built on years of trial experience, Parker McDonald lawyers are dedicated to a tradition of personal service and timely delivery of outstanding results. Parker McDonald has offices in Bedford, Fort Worth, Houston, Austin, and San Antonio.

Follow Parker McDonald on Facebook and Twitter.

The new President-Elect of Texas Trial Lawyers Association for the upcoming year will be Brad Parker of Parker McDonald P.C.

Fort Worth, TX (PRWEB) December 19, 2011- Brad Parker, partner of Parker McDonald P.C., has been elected 2012 President-Elect of the Texas Trial Lawyers Association (TTLA). Mr. Parker currently serves as TTLA’s Vice President of Legislative Affairs.

TTLA was founded in 1949 to protect the rights of Texas’ families. Since its inception, TTLA has been a steadfast defender of the civil justice system in Texas, and through exceptional leadership and vision, TTLA has worked hard to ensure that ordinary citizens always have a voice in the legislative process.

Brad Parker earned his bachelor’s degree at the University of Texas at Austin. He then attended Texas Tech University School of Law, from which he graduated in 1985.Parker became licensed that same year and worked for a large Fort Worth firm.

Parker has earned a number of accolades throughout his tenure. Board Certified by the Texas Board of Legal Specialization in Personal Injury Trial Law, he is past president of the Tarrant County Trial Lawyers Association, past President of the Tarrant County Bar Association, sustaining member of the American Association of Justice, and has the highest rating of “a.v.” given by Martindale-Hubbell lawyer rating directory.

As 2012 President-Elect of the TTLA, Brad Parker brings a qualified resume of experience and leadership that will uphold the goals of the organization. For more information on Brad Parker, visit parkermcdonaldlaw.com.

About Parker McDonald
Parker McDonald, P.C. offers comprehensive legal services for clients whose personal, business or property rights have been adversely affected. Built on years of trial experience, Parker McDonald lawyers are dedicated to a tradition of personal service and timely delivery of outstanding results.Parker McDonald has offices in Bedford, Fort Worth, Houston, Austin, and San Antonio.

Follow Parker McDonald on Facebook and Twitter.

Fort Worth, Texas – Brad Parker, partner at Parker McDonald P.C., has once again been recognized as a Texas Super Lawyer by Thomson Reuters as published by Texas Monthly Magazine. Parker has been repeatedly recognized as a Texas Super Lawyer since 2006.

According to their website, Super Lawyers selects attorneys using a rigorous, multiphase rating process. Each candidate is evaluated on 12 indicators of peer recognition and professional achievement. The final list represents no more than five percent of the lawyers in the state.

Mr. Parker obtained his bachelor’s degree from the University of Texas at Austin in 1982 and his law degree from Texas Tech University School of Law in 1985. For more than 25 years, Parker’s practice has been centered almost exclusively in the areas of wrongful death, catastrophic personal injury, bad faith insurance practices, dangerous pharmaceuticals and medical devices, and commercial litigation.

Parker has served as President of the Tarrant County Bar Association and is President-Elect of the Texas Trial Lawyers Association for 2012.  He is a member of the Texas Trial Lawyers Association, Tarrant County Trial Lawyers Association, Dallas Trial Lawyers Association, Tarrant County Bar Association, and the American Association for Justice. He has an “a.v.” rating, the highest rating awarded by Martindale-Hubbell lawyer rating directory.

For more information on Brad Parker, visit his profile at parkermcdonaldlaw.com.

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About Parker McDonald
Parker McDonald, P.C. offers comprehensive legal services for clients whose personal, business or property rights have been adversely affected. Built on years of trial experience, Parker McDonald lawyers are dedicated to a tradition of personal service and timely delivery of outstanding results. Parker McDonald has offices in Bedford, Fort Worth, Houston, Austin, and San Antonio.

Follow Parker McDonald on Facebook and Twitter.

Fort Worth, Texas – Parker McDonald Law Firm reports on the results of the November 22, 2011, DePuy MDL status conference in Toledo, Ohio. The purpose of the conference was to address cases filed against DePuy Orthopaedics, a Johnson & Johnson subsidiary, regarding defective hip implants.

The Northern District of Ohio federal court has been designated to preside over all DePuy ASR cases filed in federal court. Last week’s status conference was one of several held this year.

The status conference resulted in the Honorable David A. Katz entering two Case Management Orders. The first is an Amended Stipulated Protective Order of Confidentiality, which addresses the protection of documents produced in discovery by DePuy.  The order ensures that certain documents which are produced by DePuy be kept confidential.

The second Case Management Order issued by Judge Katz provides for a Common Benefit Fund.  There are thousands of cases in the DePuy ASR MDL, however, only a few attorneys have been charged with overseeing the daily progress of the case. For efficiency purposes, a common benefit fund has been established to ensure a collective distribution of funds to cover court associated costs. The fund will not impact the amount of recovery, if any, clients will receive.

Judge Katz ended his rulings by scheduling the next status conference to convene January 23, 2012.

Since the initial recall of the DePuy ASR in August 2010, Parker McDonald has provided substantial resources for people seeking litigation for hip implant related injuries, including DePuy’s Pinnacle metal-on-metal hip implant. As a resource for hip implant patients, Parker McDonald will continue to provide up to date information and report new developments at http://hipimplantrecovery.com/.

If you or someone you know has received a DePuy metal-on-metal hip implant, contact the hip implant attorneys at Parker McDonald for more information.

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About Parker McDonald
Parker McDonald, P.C. offers comprehensive legal services for clients whose personal, business or property rights have been adversely affected. Built on years of trial experience, Parker McDonald lawyers are dedicated to a tradition of personal service and timely delivery of outstanding results.

Parker McDonald P.C.

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Fort Worth, Texas – Parker McDonald Law Firm reported today that new research from the British Medical Journal further confirms that DePuy Orthopaedics, and other metal-on-metal hip implant manufacturers, put patients in danger with products like the recalled DePuy ASR hip implant. The British Medical Journal just released its findings after extensive research of metal-on-metal implants.

The report, which was sponsored by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration, confirmed the increased probability that patients who received metal-on-metal implants were twice as likely to need corrective surgery over those implanted with a non-metal-on-metal device. According to a recent article from Thomson Reuters, the report analyzed the results of 18 studies including  3,139 patients and over 830,000 operations reported in registries.

There are more than 700,000 joint replacement surgeries performed each year in the United States. The report recognizes that around 270,000 of those are hip replacement procedures. The study shows that all metal-on-metal hip implants show no noticeable signs of improvement over traditional implants and may actually put patients at an increased risk.

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) sponsored the published report and worked closely with academic experts, and additionally reviewed all published literature and large orthopedic registries. Art Sedrakyan, a professor at Weill Cornell Medical College, noted that the report is not a final conclusion, but it is clear that metal-on-metal devices double the risk patients have of needing a revision procedure.

The DePuy hip implant recall in August of 2010 created heightened scrutiny over the materials used in replacement hips. Manufacturers have used metal, ceramic and plastic pieces to construct the ball-and-socket structure. The metal-on-metal combination was marketed to be more durable, but high failure rates and metal toxicity has compromised the health of thousands of patients.

In May of this year, the FDA issued 145 orders for post market surveillance studies to 21 manufacturers of metal-on-metal hip systems, including Zimmer Holdings, DePuy, Wright Medical, Biomet, and Smith & Nephew. According to the FDA, data from the studies conducted will enable the agency to better understand metal-on-metal devices and their safety profiles.

If you or a loved one has a DePuy ASR or Pinnacle metal-on-metal hip implant you may have a claim against the manufacturer, contact Parker McDonald today. Visit http://hipimplantrecovery.com/ for more information on the defective hip implants, symptoms, and how to process a legal claim.

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About Parker McDonald
Parker McDonald, P.C. offers comprehensive legal services for clients whose personal, business or property rights have been adversely affected. Built on years of trial experience, Parker McDonald lawyers are dedicated to a tradition of personal service and timely delivery of outstanding results.

Brad Parker has been elected as 2012 President-Elect of the Texas Trial Lawyers Association (TTLA). TTLA was founded in 1949 to protect the right of Texas’ families. Since its inception, TTLA has been a steadfast defender of the civil justice system in Texas, and through exceptional leadership and vision, TTLA has worked hard to ensure that ordinary citizens always have a voice in the legislative process.

Dan McDonald and a Parker McDonald hip implant client were interviewed by Ginger Allen, a reporter from CBS 11 News in Dallas, to discuss the DePuy ASR hip implant recall.