Johnson & Johnson Recalls Another Metal on Metal Hip Implant

Just two and a half years after the highly publicized Johnson & Johnson recall of the DePuy ASR Hip Implant, the health care giant is recalling yet another metal on metal hip because a “higher than expected percentage of them had to be replaced.”  This time the recall is for the Adept brand all-metal total hip replacement system.  Specifically being recalled is the top part of the implant system, which is the ball at the top of the thighbone that fits into the hip socket.

Associated Press Report

According to an Associated Press report, a J&J spokesperson said the company has recalled all of the 7,500 Adept implants produced for use worldwide between 2004 and September 2011, but it is unknown how many of the recalled devices were actually implanted in patients.  The implant system was recalled after a national registry in the United Kingdom found that 12.1% of patients needed their implants replaced within 7 years and an Australian registry found 7.1% of patients needed a replacement within 3 years.  The Adept implant system was sold in Germany and 20 other countries but was not sold to patients in the United States.