Morning Briefing
Summaries of health policy coverage from major news organizations
Johnson & Johnson Seeks To Settle Cases Linking Uterine Cancer To Surgical Device
The Wall Street Journal: Johnson & Johnson Settling Cases Tied To Device That Can Spread Uterine Cancer
Johnson & Johnson is settling a series of legal claims and lawsuits alleging that its now-discontinued hysterectomy device harmed women by spreading an undetected hidden cancer, according to court documents and plaintiff lawyers with knowledge of the settlements. An estimated 100 cases have either been filed—or readied for lawsuits—against J&J’s Ethicon unit related to a device known as the laparoscopic power morcellator, said Paul Pennock, a plaintiff lawyer and co-lead counsel on the steering committee for consolidated litigation under way in a Kansas City, Kan., federal court. (Levitz, 3/18)
The Wall Street Journal: FDA Weighs Danger Tied To Blood-Monitoring Devices
The Food and Drug Administration is striving to assess the scope of the danger from medical devices that sometimes produce erroneous readings of how quickly patients’ blood tends to clot when they are taking anticoagulant medicines such as warfarin. The small mobile devices, used in patients’ homes and in doctors’ offices, have malfunctioned in thousands of cases over the years, according to the FDA. (Burton, 3/18)
