In mid-July 2007, Boston Scientific Corporation announced it has reached an agreement to pay $195 million to settle claims related to faulty defibrillators and pacemakers manufactured by Guidant, the company it acquired in 2006. Guidant had to recall over 100,000 cardiac-assist devices in 2005 after a defibrillator malfunctioned. The settlement dealt with approximately 4,000 individual claims. Currently, there are still almost 2,000 pending cases.
On June 17, 2005 Guidant Corporation announced the first recall of Guidant defibrillator heart devices based on information that the devices had failed on at least 45 occasions. Guidant extended that recall a week later to cover additional defective defibrillators. One month later, the company warned doctors that a defect in some 28,000 pacemakers still in use by patients may necessitate replacement of the devices. On September 22, 2005, Guidant announced that the Insignia and Nexus devices can experience a sudden loss of pacing.
By January 2006, Guidant faced 145 individual lawsuits involving its defective defibrillator and pacemaker devices and an additional 60 class action lawsuits.
If you or a loved one has suffered or died due to a defective medical device in Maryland, Pennsylvania or Delaware, please call the Medical Device Liability Lawyers at the Law Offices of Peter G. Angelos.
