A California jury cleared Riverside (Calif.) Community Hospital of allegations that surgeons used counterfeit spine implants, Courtroom View Network reported Nov. 14.
Derika Moses accused the hospital of letting surgeons use allegedly imitation metal screws in a spinal fusion surgery. She had to have the implants removed five years after her initial surgery, and her attorneys sought more than $2 million in damages.
Ms. Moses' attorneys said the company behind the screws, Spinal Solutions, was cut off by its supplier and got screws from a private manufacturer that allegedly used fake branding. However, the hospital's attorneys argued the FDA never found that the screws were counterfeit and that Ms. Moses consented to the procedure.