Zimmer Durom Cup MDL Could be Most Costly in History

The Zimmer Durom Cup is the component most often cited in Zimmer hip litigation, and it is theorized that as many as 12,000 plaintiffs could join the ever-growing Zimmer litigation. Settlements will depend on the amount of suffering and the nature of the side effect a plaintiff has had to endure as well as the number of patients involved.The Zimmer Durom Cup hip implant was first introduced in the United States in 2006, with a design that was supposed to avoid many problems associated with traditional hip replacement components. However, shortly after it was introduced, concerns emerged about a high number of Zimmer hip replacement recall failures involving the Durom Cup, where the component loosened and required Zimmer hip revision surgery.

No Zimmer hip settlements are expected until late 2011 or 2012 as the Zimmer hip MDL proceeds. While Zimmer’s own estimates in 2008 suggested that some doctors experienced failure rates as high as 5.7%, some claims have suggested that the between 20% and 30% of people may experience Zimmer Durom Cup hip problems.
Zimmer intends to reintroduce the artificial hip implant after they develop instructions about the special surgical techniques that doctors need to use to avoid the risk of Durom Cup problems. Many of the problems associated with Zimmer hip failure surface over time and it is expected that, as these problems come to light, the number of Zimmer hip lawsuits will swell into one of the largest MDL as of yet. 

A Zimmer Durom Cup recall was not issued, since they indicated that there was no manufacturing defect or design defect with the components. They indicated that sales would be resumed once additional product labeling was developed to provide instructions about special surgical techniques that are required to avoid problems. They also indicated that a new surgical training program would be implemented in the United States, since the technology and design parameters of the Durom Cup require a higher degree of precision than the more common hip replacement surgical techniques used in the United States. Surgeons have refuted that claim and, instead, argue that the blame lay on faulty design plans carried out by Zimmer Inc.