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Ancure Endograft System — Class Action Lawsuit Filed

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Reuters: "Personal injury firm Audet & Partners, of [San Francisco], California, filed a class action suit on Monday on behalf of a 70-year-old woman whose husband died of complications from a surgery involving the Ancure Endograft system."
>> Read the entire Reuters article at Fox News Channel

SAN JOSE, Calif., June 16 /PRNewswire/ -- Audet & Partners, LLP, a well-established national class action and personal injury law firm, has announced that it has filed a class action lawsuit against Guidant Technologies, Inc. and Endovascular Technologies, Inc., arising from the defective Ancure Endograft System. Endovascular Technologies, Inc. recently agreed to pay a fine in excess of $92 million for misleading the FDA and the general public regarding the safety and efficacy of the Ancure Endograft System. The plaintiff is a 70-year old widow whose husband died as a result of complications apparently associated with the defective Ancure Endograft System. The class action lawsuit, filed in the United States District Court for the Northern District of California, seeks to represent individuals and family members of individuals who have been implanted with the Ancure Device.
>>For more information about this lawsuit, contact Audet & Partners

"Guidant Corp. agreed to plead guilty to 10 felony counts for concealing that its product to prevent aneurysms [Ancure Endoraft] had failed in thousands of patients, including 12 who died. The medicaldevice maker will pay $92.4 million, a record penalty for failing to report malfunctions to regulators. Investigators found 2,628 cases of unreported malfunctions, which led to the deaths and 57 surgeries to correct complications."
>>See: http://www.indystar.com/print/ articles/3/050170-5243-095.html

 

 

San Jose Mercury News article (8/3/03): "When a Guidant Corp. subsidiary pleaded guilty in June to 10 federal felonies, it acknowledged failing to report thousands of malfunctions of a medical device used to repair bulges in the body's main artery. Twelve of the unreported cases ended in deaths."
>>Read the whole article.

Per court order, we are now co-lead counsel in this class action (entitled “In re ANCURE® Product Liability Litigation, Master File No. CV-03-2774”).
>>Click here to see the Case Management Order.

Palo Alto’s EndoVascular Technologies, Inc. Hit with Big Fines for Failure of Ancure Endograft System

Twelve people have died as a result of a malfunctioning medical device manufactured by EndoVascular Technologies Inc. of Palo Alto, a subsidiary of Guidant Corporation of Indianapolis, Indiana. The product, called the Ancure Endograft System and above, is an alternative to traditional surgery performed on persons suffering from abdominal aortic aneurysms, a condition which may result in a burst artery and death. The company touted its product as requiring shorter hospital stays and recovery time.

In addition to the deaths caused so far, over 2600 Ancure devices have malfunctioned out of a total 7500 sold in the first 19 months since its introductiont,— this according to the FBI and federal prosecutors who have charged the company with making a false statement to the FDA and other fraud-related crimes. On June 12, 2003, a company official admitted in Federal Court that Guidant hid key facts about its product from the public. The company also pleaded guilty to introducing a misbranded medical device with the intent to defraud or mislead.

Our Class Action (click to read - PDF 1.6m)

The company has been ordered by the Court to pay $92.4 million in criminal and civil penalties, a record amount for this type of case. Evidence submitted suggested a series of serious misrepresentations and cover-up related activities by EndoVascular, which led to significantly increased risks to patients contemplating the product’s use. Several private lawsuits against the company have also been filed in Federal Court in San Jose alleging similar misconduct. Although the product was approved by the FDA, it is important to note that the federal agency does not test new devices, thus essentially putting its trust in companies that come forward with new products for the medical market.

If you or a member of your family has been injured by the Ancure System, you may have a claim.

Contact Audet & Partners immediately to protect your rights.

Persons seeking to preserve any potential legal claims should contact an attorney promptly, since all states have mandatory time periods in which lawsuits must be filed with the courts; otherwise, they may be forever barred. Audet & Partners represents individuals, governmental entities, small businesses and institutional shareholders in product liability, tort, negligence, consumer, construction defect, investment fraud, securities, insider trading, antitrust, environmental, whistle blower, aviation and employment cases. In recognition of their outstanding abilities and commitment to the legal profession over the years, the firm and its members have served as Court-appointed Plaintiffs’ Counsel in dozens of federal and state cases throughout the United States.