Telegraph investigation claims hip implant manufacturer was aware of safety fears in 1995

The Daily Telegraph has reported that hip implant manufacturer DePuy was alerted to safety fears over its metal-on-metal hip implants in 1995. The Pinnacle implants were first used in the UK in 2002 and have been used in 20,000 patients.
 
The Telegraph claims to have obtained unseen emails, memos and reports that detail concerns about the hip implants.
 
Leigh Day is currently representing over 300 clients who are bringing group action proceedings against DePuy, the manufacturers of the Pinnacle Ultamet Total Hip Replacement, for compensation for the damage they have suffered as a result of having these metal-on-metal hips implanted. A trial has been listed to take place in October this year.
 
The documents revealed by the Telegraph detailing safety concerns were seen by the newspaper following a court hearing in Texas, where patients are bringing a legal claim against DePuy over the Pinnacle implant.
 
It is reported that a senior engineer for DePuy wrote a report in 1995 raising concerns about the wearing down of the metal-on-metal implants which results in the “release of a large volume” of debris. The engineer remarked in his report that metal-on-metal implants were “unpredictable” and parts prone to “catastrophic breakdown”.
 
A spokesman for Depuy said the safety of patients was its “first priority” and it “acted appropriately and responsibly in the design and testing” of the Pinnacle.
 
Boz Michalowska Howells, partner in Leigh Day’s product liability and consumer safety team, said: “The documents that the Daily Telegraph have disclosed appear to reveal the very significant problems that both patients and surgeons have had with these metal-on-metal hips which could have been avoided had these implants not been used.”