In May 2014, Medtronic Inc. settled about 950 lawsuits for $22 million. They also set aside $120-140 million to resolve thousands of additional claims. These claims are not part of an Infuse bone graft class action — they are individual lawsuits filed by plaintiffs with severe injuries.
What is the Infuse Bone Graft?
The INFUSE Bone Graft is a product used in spinal-fusion surgery that is manufactured by Medtronic Inc. It is designed with human bone morphogenetic protein (rhBMP), which stimulates bone-growth. Since it was approved in 2002, Infuse has been used in over 1 million patients. It is promoted as an alternative to traditional bone-grafting techniques, which require bone to be harvested from another area of the patient’s body.
Infuse Bone Graft Class Action Lawsuit Information
Thousands of people have filed lawsuits for injuries caused by the Infuse bone graft, but these are not part of an Infuse bone graft class action. They are individual lawsuits filed by people who have hired an attorney.
Medtronic is accused of encouraging physicians to use Infuse for “off-label” procedures that were not approved by the FDA. At the peak of its popularity, over 85% of sales were off-label. In 2011, investigators with The Spine Journal and MedPage Today found that Medtronic paid $210 million in royalties and other fees to a group of doctors and two organizations that promoted Infuse.