J&J starts reimbursement programme for Indian patients with faulty ASR hip implants

Answer: Johnson & Johnson.

Johnson and Johnson (J&J) on November 2 launched a reimbursement programme for Indian patients who were affected by its faulty ASR hip implants.

The reimbursement programme is called ASR India Patient Assistance Programme (IPAP). It will support Indian patients with ASR hip implanted between June 2004 to August 2010.

Reimbursement will now be provided if the revision surgery and the tests took place within 15 years from the date of the first hip replacement surgery. As per the earlier reimbursement programme, patients could benefit only if the revision surgery happened within 10 years from the date of primary surgery.

Around 4,700 ASR surgeries were carried out in India between 2004 and 2010.

The new reimbursement programme will end on August 24, 2025.

The programme provides for the reimbursement of expenses for testing and revision surgeries related to the ASR Hip system recall within 15 years from the date of primary surgery.

For patients who require revision surgery, reasonable recall-related expenses like travel, hotel, food from the time of admission until discharge from the hospital for the patient and one attendant will be provided.

Expenses for follow up tests conducted in the year following revision surgery will also be reimbursed.

“We are committed to our ASR patients in India and remain dedicated to the advancement of patient health in India as we have for the past 70 years," J&J said in a media statement.

The company earlier told health ministry it will soon be reaching out to the surgeons and patients registered on its helpline number and put out advertisements in regional languages in various states regarding the new programme.

The company asked patients to register with the helpline.

J&J has been drawing flak for failing to pay any compensation for its faulty hip implant in India, although it had agreed to pay hefty damages of $2.5 billion to around 8,000 US citizens, who had sued the company after receiving the implants.

"For years J&J has denied legitimate claims of patients on the basis that an arbitrary timeframe set by the company, of ten years, had lapsed by the time patients approached the company for reimbursement," said All India Drug Action Network (AIDAN) - a network of non-governmental organisations working for the cause of health.

"While this is positive, it should be kept in mind that the reimbursement programme is very limited. For example, because patients were not informed of the faulty implants, they underwent numerous medical investigations, procedures and treatments at significant financial cost, prior to revision surgery. How will they be reimbursed for these costs?," AIDAN said.