BILL: Support patient rights

A bipartisan bill introduced in the House on May 10 would amend the Federal Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act with respect to liability under state and local requirements respecting all Class III devices, including nerve stimulators, hip implants, defibrillators, pacemakers, infusion pumps, surgical mesh, hearing aid implants, breast implants and hundreds more.

The purpose of this bill is to restore patients’ right to litigation should he/she be harmed by a Class III medical device.

Patients already harmed by Class III medical devices have a difficult, if not impossible, time pursuing litigation if injured, disabled or killed by a Class III medical device, even in the case of a recall.

With no accountability, manufacturers have no incentive to fix a problem device. The manufacturers are, in essence, protected. In most cases, lawsuits are thrown out on the grounds of Federal Preemption Protection.

Search The Medical Device Safety Act 2019, H.R. 2669. Fill out the form on the right side of the page. You will get a confirmation email back that you have submitted your message and thanking you for taking action.

BARBARA ROBERTS

Coeur d’Alene