The New York Times reports that the orthopedic unit of Johnson & Johnson, DePuy, will be phasing out its metal on metal hip devices.  DePuy, makers of the ASR and Pinnacle hip devices, currently faces approximately 14,000 lawsuits nationwide.  These cases are currently pending in state and federal courts.

In a statement, Depuy pointed to two factors behind its decision to drop the all-metal Pinnacle: 1) sharply declining surgeon demand for all-metal devices and 2) a recent ruling by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) affecting such products.  DePuy will completely phase out the metal on metal device by the end of 2014.

If you have had a hip replacement, which used the DePuy ASR or DePuy Pinnacle devices, you can contact Stark & Stark and speak to one of the Mass Tort attorneys, free of charge, who can help assess any claims that you might have against the DePuy manufacturers.