Product Recalls Are Costliest to Consumers
Profit losses due to the product recalls are no secret to the public. What may surprise people more is the burden product recalls have on consumers. For example, individuals who have received a hip replacement using the recalled DePuy Orthapaedics ASR hip replacement system have experienced economic setbacks such as the cost of a repeat surgery, as well as the need to take time off work and hire outside help due to pain caused by the faulty device and while recovering from a second surgery. Many affected patients have turned to a DePuy hip recall lawyer to seek compensation for their damages from DePuy. Of 93,000 devices implanted since 2003, 13% are expected to fail within five years.
The recall of the DePuy ASR hip replacement has made it painfully clear that for the company DePuy Orthapaedics is driven solely by profit, leaving no room for the patient’s rights. And in the end, even after DePuy a subsidiary of the international conglomerate Johnson & Johnson settles on a myriad of DePuy hip recall lawsuits, it is likely that releasing cheap and flawed technology is still profitable. Who can we expect to effect systematic change in the realm of product safety? The FDA has proven slow to act and clearly companies like Johnson and Johnson, who has an extensive history of product recalls, will not alter their behavior unless the bottom line demands it.