Hobbs Giroday
-Litigation Lawyers
The Guidant Class Action
Hobbs Giroday has filed a proposed national class action lawsuit against Guidant Corporation and its subsidiaries on behalf of all Canadians who have received potentially defective implanted defibrillators and pacemakers manufactured by Guidant.
The lawsuit was filed in the Supreme Court of British Columbia on August 2, 2005. Hobbs Giroday is working in association with the law firm Murphy Battista to pursue the claims against Guidant.
Background Information
Guidant, headquartered in Indianapolis, Indiana, USA, is the second-largest manufacturer of implantable defibrillators in the world and also manufactures pacemakers, cardiac surgery systems, and other medical devices.
In 2005 Guidant recalled numerous models of heart defibrillators and pacemakers because these devices may fail to operate properly. In some cases, the implanted defibrillators and pacemakers may need to be surgically removed and replaced.
The claims against Guidant allege that Guidant waited more than three years before warning doctors of a flaw in a heart defibrillator (Ventak Prizm 2 DR, model 1861) that could render the device ineffective in delivering therapy to patients when needed. Guidant explained that it did not give notification because it believed the risk was insignificant, and therefore notification was unnecessary. Furthermore, Guidant has acknowledged that after making manufacturing changes to some devices, it continued to sell devices which were manufactured prior to the changes.
Health Canada has advised Canadians who have Guidant devices implanted that certain units may be prone to failure. The United States Food and Drug Administration has classified a number of the Guidant recalls under the “highest priority” designation, indicating that the FDA concluded there is a reasonable probability that one of the malfunctioning devices will cause serious injuries or death. Guidant has also issued “Urgent Medical Device Safety Information & Corrective Action” warning letters to doctors and patients relating to its defibrillators and pacemakers.
Contact Us
If you or someone you know wishes to receive more information with respect to Guidant defibrillators or pacemakers, or if you wish to receive more information concerning this class action, you may do so by simply contacting us.