January 19th, 2011
Pryers Solicitors has recently been instructed by a number of women who have unexpectedly fallen pregnant despite being fitted with the Implanon contraceptive device by their healthcare provider.
It is believed that over 550 women in the UK have fallen pregnant whilst relying on the Implanon contraceptive implant since its introduction to the UK in 1999.
Implanon was the only single-rod subdermal contraceptive implant on the UK market for over 11 years and has been extremely popular; especially amongst young women.
The implant was withdrawn from the market in October 2010 and replaced by a newer version, known as “Nexplanon”.
The manufacturer of the device advises that the 4cm single-rod device, which is situated in the inside of the upper non-dominant arm, is approximately 99% effective in preventing pregnancy. However, it appears that the device is only 99% effective if it is inserted into the arm correctly.
Implanon was discontinued within the UK market because of reported cases of non-insertion and deep-insertion. The Medicine and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA), the body who oversees the UK medical products market, received a number of reports, from healthcare professionals, complaining that the Implanon applicator made it difficult to know whether the semi-rigid rod had actually been inserted into the arm or not. It was also said to be difficult to locate the implant on radiology.
In a number of cases currently being investigated by Pryers, it has become apparent that the Implanon was never actually inserted into the womans arm.
Women who believed that they have been fitted with the Implanon device and later discovered that they had not may be entitled to seek compensation for unexpected pregnancy. In many cases, the women have had to take the difficult decision to terminate the pregnancy or have had other complications during pregnancy such as still-birth and the birth of a disabled child. All women suffered with an associated psychological impact due to the pregnancies.
In some cases the Implanon has been implanted so deeply into the patient’s arm that damage has been caused to the bicep muscles and nerves necessitating surgery to remove the implant. In other cases, where the implant was very deep in the arm some women required physiotherapy and other treatment to aid recovery.
If you have become unexpectedly pregnant whilst on the Implanon implant or have been injured by implant insertion and would like to discuss the circumstances of your case please contact either Suzanne Landels or Richard Greensit who are both specialist medical solicitors on 0800 316 0166 or at richard.greensit@pryers-solicitors.co.uk / suzanne.landels@pryers-solicitors.co.uk .
Tags: 11 Years, Complications During Pregnancy, Contraceptive Device, Contraceptive Implant, Deep Insertion, Difficult Decision, Healthcare Products Regulatory Agency, Healthcare Professionals, Healthcare Provider, Implanon Implant, Medical Products, Medicine, Preventing Pregnancy, Radiology, Rigid Rod, Solicitors, Uk Medical, Unexpected Pregnancy, Unwanted Pregnancies, Young Women
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November 9th, 2010
Pryers Solicitors have been instructed by a number of patients to bring claims for compensation in relation to the failure of De Puy ASR hip implants, which have been recalled by the manufacturer.
Since the product was launched in 2003, over 10,000 people in the UK have been fitted with a De Puy ASR hip implant, either during hip replacement or hip resurfacing.
Towards the end of 2009, experts in Australia became concerned that a large number of ASR hips were failing prematurely, often requiring further surgery. Earlier this year, the UK Medicines and Healthcare Products Regulatory Authority (MHRA) issued a notice about the ASR hip, saying that there may be a problem. They began their own investigations. In September 2010, the manufacturer, De Puy, decided that the products should no longer be used; that unused stock should be returned to the manufacturer; and patients who had received an ASR device should be checked by their surgeons and, if they showed symptoms of failure of the device, revision surgery should be considered.
While the revision rate is still relatively low, at about 12 or 13% within five years, this is more than twice the rate that would be expected from other hip products. It is therefore expected that a very large number of patients will have hip pain and will require additional surgery due to the defect in the particular hip used. In many cases, such patients will be entitled to compensation from De Puy.
Pryers represent a number of people, from all over the UK, who have had problems with the De Puy ASR hip and who have required further surgery for revision, or are expected to require revision in the future. Claims for compensation will be brought against the manufacturer under the Consumer Protection Act, which requires manufacturers to pay compensation for injuries and financial losses caused by defective products. Most cases will be conducted on a “no win no fee” basis.
If you have been fitted with a De Puy ASR prosthesis, whether as a replacement or resurfacing, and are having hip pain or other hip symptoms, please contact Richard Greensit, a specialist medical solicitor at Pryers.
Richard can be contacted on 01904 556600 or at richard.starkie@pryers-solicitors.co.uk.
Update: Please see related post: DePuy ASR Hip Replacement Products
Tags: 7 September, Australia, Consumer Protection Act, David Sears, De Puy, Defective Products, Depuy, Failure, Family Member, Fee Basis, Financial Losses, Healthcare Products, Healthcare Products Regulatory Agency, Hip Implant, Hip Implants, Hip Pain, Hip Replacement, Hip Replacements, Hip Resurfacing, Hips, Investigations, Legal Advice, Litigation, Medical Device Alert, Medical Directors, Medicines, Medicines And Healthcare Products Regulatory Agency, Mhra, Regulatory Authority, Solicitors, Unused Stock
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