Medtronic Lawsuit

Medtronic has been sued by the family of a California woman who went into respiratory arrest and died following an off-label use of a bone growth promoter manufactured and marketed by Medtronic. 

The product, Infuse Bone Growth, is a fast-selling bone-growth protein. The product has been approved by the FDA to stimulate bone growth through a frontal approach to surgeries of the lower back. No other use has been approved by the FDA but there are a number of off-label uses. While it is not illegal for a doctor to use a drug or other item in an off-label way, the company making the product cannot market the product for off-label uses.

The lawsuit that was filed by the woman’s family alleges that Infuse Bone Growth was responsible for the woman’s death. The family argues that the Medtronic salesperson encouraged the surgeon performing the neck surgery to use Infuse in an off-label way. 

The case has come up as the Justice Department and a Senate Committee are looking into the product for uses not approved by the FDA. The suit echoes lawsuits filed in 2002 and 2003 by former Medtronic employees. It is, however, the first to allege that the product caused the death of an individual.

If you have been injured by a Medtronic product, contact the Medtronic lawsuit attorneys of Williams Kherkher at 1-866-950-9000 to discuss your case and to determine our legal options.

Medtronic, who is the world’s largest manufacturer of medical devices, has reported that their second-quarter earnings fell 14% as compared to last year’s second-quarter earnings. They reported earnings of $571 which roughly 51 cents per share. Last year’s second quarter earnings were $666 million or 58 cents per share.

While the overall revenue has fallen from the previous year, Medtronic reported that sales rose 14 percent to $3.57 billion for the second quarter.

The reasons for the falling profits can be tied to a number of factors. The two biggest factors that cut into profits were legal expenses and delining foreign exchange rates. Even without the legal fees factored in to revenues and sales, the results still fell far short of Wall Street forecasts.

If you have been shocked by an internal defibrillator with faulty leads, contact the Medtronic ICD lawyers of Williams Kherkher at 1-866-950-9000 to discuss your case and to determine your legal options.

Medtronic has released the updated or revised failure rates for the SprintFidelis leads that were recalled last year.

The leads’ failure rates were tracked using both the CareLink network and System Longevity Study (SLS). Both monitor the failure of leads remotely. In leads tracked using SLS, the failure rate was 6.3% while CareLink had a 3.8% failure rate. Both rates are above the initial rate of failure estimated by the company.

In both monitoring systems, the ICD issued a warning up to three days in advance prior to issuing an inappropriate shock if proper software had been downloaded to the ICD.

If you have experienced inappropriate shocks from your Medtronic ICD, contact the Medtronic lawyers of Williams Kherkher at 1-866-950-9000 to discuss your case and to determine your legal options.

A leading Chicago heart surgeon has been sued by a patient who claims that his acceptance of money for using a heart device is unethical. Leading experts claim that the move is unethical despite the surgeon’s claims that the money is donated to charity.

The device implanted in the patient’s heart has resulted in inflammation. Because of the device, she needs a second surgery to remove the device and may face a heart transplant. The device was experimental and not consented to by the patient.

The surgeon does not claim that the device was experimental. He did not tell the patient he invented the device prior to implanting it in her heart. The device is used to repair leaky heart valves.

The patient’s negligence lawsuit was filed in Cook County in April of 2008 and seeks more than $50,000 in damages.

If you have been hurt by a Medtronic defibrillator, contact the Medtronic lawsuit lawyers of Williams Kherkher at 1-866-950-9000 to discuss your case and to determine your legal options.

Two different Congressional committees have written separate letters to Medtronic requesting that they disclose any and all information pertaining to salaries given to doctors that served as advisors.

 The Senate Special Committee on Aging and the Senate Finance Committee want to know why Medtronic has not released the names of doctors who have received payments from the company. It also won’t release how much these doctors have been paid.

One of the committees wants Medtronic to disclose information about a trip to Europe that UCLA spine surgeon Jeffrey Wang and his family took. The trop was apparently paid for by Medtronic.

 The letters come shortly after a lawsuit brought by a former Medtronic lawyer was filed. The lawyer alleged that the device maker gave surgeons all sorts of perks and goodies to use its spinal implants. These perks included regular trips to a Memphis strip club, trips to Alaska, and patent royalties paid to the doctors despite the lack of role they played in developing the products.

Medtronic’s relationship with doctors has brought another lawsuit that was filed by two other Medtronic employees. This lawsuit was filed against the doctors specifically.

If you have been injured by a defective Medtronic medical device, contact the Medtronic lawsuit attorneys of Williams Kherkher at 1-866-950-9000 to discuss your legal options and to schedule a consultation.