Coated Stents Can Be Life-Threatening
Boston Scientific and Johnson & Johnson ‘Coated Stents’: Have Been Found To Do More Harm Than Good In Some Cases
Chicago personal injury attorneys who focus on defective products and negligence cases are constantly trying to educate consumers on the dangers many drugs and medical devices on the market today. Drug-eluding stents have been implanted in millions of patients around the country, and recently published reports of studies by the New England Journal of Medicine have shown that they are associated with an increased rate of death, as compared with bare-metal stents. (March 8, 2007).
“Stents” are tiny pieces of wire used to prevent heart attacks by keeping arteries open. Drug-eluting stents contain medications that potentially reduce the chance the arteries will become blocked again. The downfall is that they create a place where potentially deadly blood clots can form and cause heart attacks.
Even worse, Illinois personal injury lawyers say, The American College of Cardiology has announced that implanting drug-coated stents in addition to traditional drug therapy alone provides no lasting benefit. So why the increase in use?
Stents generate nearly $5 billion a year in U.S. sales for Boston Scientific and Johnson & Johnson, the two companies that currently dominate the market. Both corporations admit the increased risk of blood clots but claim the benefits still outweigh these risks.
According to the New York Times, the Taxus stent from Boston Scientific, which was first used in 2004, achieved more sales in its first year than any health care product in history. However, The FDA issued a Class I Recall on the Taxus Express in July of 2004, because “characteristics in its design resulted in failure of the balloon to deflate and impeded removal of the balloon after stent placement,” which lead to significant patient complications, including emergency coronary artery bypass graft surgery and death.
Chicago personal injury attorneys explain Class I recalls (according to the FDA) are the most serious type of recall and involve situations where there is a reasonable probability that use of the product will cause serious injury or death.
If you or someone you love has had a drug-eluding stent implanted, please contact a Chicago personal injury attorney immediately.
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