HOUSTON, Nov. 11 The Houston trial law firm Arnold & Itkin LLP has filed five lawsuits against the makers of pain pumps and related medications based on claims that many of the companies' defective devices are causing irreversible shoulder damage among patients.
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Currently, the attorneys at Arnold & Itkin are representing 28 people who received pain pumps to manage pain following shoulder surgery. The pumps utilize a catheter to deliver continuous doses of medication directly into the shoulder.
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According to the lawsuits, pain pump manufacturers were denied approval by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration to use the pumps to mitigate pain in shoulder joints, but the companies continued to promote their use in that way. Many former pain pump users say the companies were negligent in designing, researching and selling pain pumps that they should have known were dangerous. The legal filings include claims of fraud, breach of warranty and products liability against the defendant manufacturers.
"The dangers of these pumps have been known for years, and even the FDA knew it was a bad idea to use them in shoulder joints," says Arnold & Itkin attorney Mike Pierce, who represents the plaintiffs. "Many of our clients have undergone multiple surgeries, all trying to fix a problem caused by these faulty pumps."
Plaintiffs allege that the pain pumps cause postarthroscopic glenohumeral chondrolysis (PAGCL), the progressive destruction of cartilage in the glenohumeral joint connecting the arm to the shoulder. Without the cartilage, bones grind together causing excruciating pain. PAGCL was first widely identified in 2004, with subsequent studies establishing a link between pain pumps and PAGCL.
Named as defendants are several pain pump manufacturers, including Portage, Mich.-based Stryker Corp. (NYSE: SYK), London-based Orthofix Inc. (Nasdaq: OFIX), Lake Forest, Calif.-based I-Flow Inc. (Nasdaq: IFLO), East Aurora, N.Y.-based Moog Inc. (NYSE: MOG.A), San Jose, Calif.-based Sgarlato R.P. Inc., Vista, Calif.-based Breg Inc., Largo, Fla.-based Linvatec Corp., and Vista, Calif.-based DJO Inc. The lawsuits also name several leading pharmaceutical companies, including London-based AstraZeneca (NYSE: AZN), Abbott Park, Ill.-based Abbott Laboratories (NYSE: ABT), Schaumburg, Ill.-based APP Pharmaceuticals and Lake Forest, Ill.-based Hospira Worldwide (NYSE: HSP).
The five lawsuits were filed in Los Angeles County Superior Court. The cases are: Jaysan C. Cofer, et al. v. Stryker Corp., et al., No. BC423120; Denise Fleshman, et al. v. I-Flow Inc., et al., No. BC423117; Louise M. Antil, et al. v. Sgarlatto R.P. Inc., et al., No. BC423121; Brooke M. Lyerly, et al. v. Breg Inc., et al., No. BC423119; and Claudia Timmons, et al. v. Linvatec Corp., et al., No. BC423118.
Arnold & Itkin represents clients in high-stakes cases involving medical and pharmaceutical injuries, products liability, serious personal injury claims, maritime accidents and business disputes. To learn more, visit the firm's Web site at http://www.arnolditkin.com.
For more information, contact Alan Bentrup at 800-559-4534 or [email protected].
SOURCE Arnold & Itkin
