Knee replacement lawsuits typically claim the devices loosened, became unstable and required revision surgery, according to a report from Drug Watch.
Here are 10 key things to know about knee replacement lawsuits in the last decade, according to the report:
1. Devices like DePuy Attune, Zimmer NexGen, and Arthrex iBalance have been at the center of legal battles over the past decade.
2. In 2001, Sulzer Medica paid $1 billion to settle 4,000 cases related to defective hip and knee implants. The Swiss company recalled 25,000 joint implants after about 200 reports of complications. By then, 17,000 patients — 90% in the U.S. — had received the affected devices.
3. After the recall, Sulzer rebranded as Centerpulse and was acquired by Zimmer in 2003 for $3.2 billion.
4. As of November 2024, there are no active multidistrict litigation cases involving knee replacements in federal courts. However, in April, a man sued DePuy Synthes, Johnson & Johnson's orthopedic business, for allegedly marketing knee implants the company knew were faulty.
Plaintiff Dwight Petty had a knee replacement in 2017 with the Attune device, according to the lawsuit. After feeling persistent pain, it was revealed in 2020 that the tibial portion of the implant loosened, and Mr. Petty had a revision surgery.
5. Thousands of lawsuits have been filed in recent years, often alleging design defects caused premature loosening of knee implants, according to the report.
6. Lawsuits against DePuy Synthes, the manufacturer of the Attune Knee Replacement, began in September 2017 when attorneys in Alabama filed the first lawsuit. Similar cases soon followed nationwide.
7. Lawsuits against Zimmer began in August 2011, when a federal panel consolidated the first 18 Zimmer NexGen Knee lawsuits in Illinois. The multidistrict litigation case grew to include more than 1,700 cases before most were dismissed.
8. In February 2018, Zimmer settled the remaining NexGen lawsuits. The details of the settlement were not disclosed, and the case officially closed in November 2022.
9. Arthrex recalled its iBalance Total Knee Arthroplasty Tibial Tray in 2015. Patients who experienced loosening and required revision surgeries later filed lawsuits.
10. In 2010, Zimmer recalled 68,000 NexGen Knee components due to the risk of loosening when the device was not fully cemented or lacked a stem. The FDA received over 100 reports of premature loosening related to the recall.