What does it say about a company embroiled in a massive medical device recall and related litigation when its newly chosen CEO is same person who was in charge of the division that produced the recalled product?
That’s a good question that Johnson & Johnson may need to answer. The company’s board recently named Alex Gorsky chief executive officer despite Gorsky being the person in charge of the medical device and diagnostic group that produced the DePuy ASR hip replacement system which was recalled in August 2010 as evidence of ever-increasing failure rates and serious injuries to dozens of patients emerged.
Before the recall, DePuy executives stated over and over that the ASR hip replacement was safe. According to the New York Times, Gorsky even declared that the company was removing the ASR hip device, sor “business reasons” — not because it was permanently disabling patients. Considering the wave of lawsuits from innocent victims who were seriously injured by the hip replacement device, it’s fair to say that “business” was effected by the recall.
Johnson & Johnson has not definitively stated whether Gorsky knew about the problems associated with the DePuy hip replacement device. However, his promotion to chief executive has surprised many medical prfessionals. As cardiologist and advocate for improved medical device safety Dr. Robert Hauser asked quizzically in the Times article, “I mean, come on. What is this?” Hauser also stated that Gorsky has “been overseeing one of the major J&J quality issues and the board of J&J sees fit to name him the new CEO.”
Hundreds of lives have been adversely effected by the DePuy hip replacement device. Innocent patients underwent surgery thinking that the device would make their lives better. Instead, the hip implant led to unbearable side effects and, for some, permanent injuries. Promoting Gorsky sends a signal that Johnson & Johnson awards negligence.
To learn more about the DePuy hip replacement recall, take a look at this consumer report written by an experienced medical malpractice and defective product lawyer in Virginia.
PA