Johnson & Johnson and DePuy Orthopaedics settled ongoing litigation surrounding allegations the company used deceptive marketing claims for two metal-on-metal implants for $120 million, according to Reuters.
Seven things to know:
1. The lawsuit, brought on by 46 U.S. states, claimed DePuy promoted unfair and deceptive campaigns to market its ASR XL and Pinnacle Ultamet hip implant devices.
2. Per the settlement, DePuy did not admit to liability or misconduct. "DePuy Synthes remains committed to meeting the current and future needs of orthopedic surgeons and patients," the company told Reuters.
3. DePuy was accused of misleading the longevity of the metal-on-metal implants. Claims suggest patients required revision operations before the company's advertised five-year lifetime.
4. In the settlement, DePuy agreed to maintain a post-market surveillance program while also updating procedures to track hip implant complaints. Currently, DePuy faces nearly 10,400 lawsuits regarding its Pinnacle device.
5. In 2010, DePuy issued a voluntary recall of 93,000 ASR hip implant systems. The company said 12 percent of the implants failed within five years. DePuy agreed to pay $2.47 billion and has since settled thousands of the lawsuits filed by patients who needed the implant removed.
6. Then in 2013, DePuy stopped selling its Pinnacle hip implant. This was due to new FDA regulations that strengthened artificial hip requirements.
7. Johnson & Johnson denies consumer claims connected to its Pinnacle products. The company said it has acted appropriately and responsibly through the development, testing and marketing phases.