Johnson & Johnson’s laparoscopic power morcellator, which was recently discovered to spread cancer cells in women, has prompted the FBI to investigate the company. The FBI wants to find out how long Johnson & Johnson knew its morcellators had been hazardous before it suspended the sale.
The Federal Bureau of Investigation is questioning the heads of Johnson & Johnson to learn how much they knew before they pulled the laparoscopic power morcellator off the market.
In 2014, the laparoscopic power morcellator was yanked from service after the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) learned that using the reusable surgical tool can spread cancerous tissues and cells. The FDA warned that women undergoing fibroid surgery had a 1 in 350 chance of having an unsuspected uterine sarcoma, a type of uterine cancer that includes leiomyosarcoma.
Johnson and Johnson’s laparoscopic power morcellator is a tool used for division and removal of large masses of tissues during laparoscopic surgery.
More about the morcellator via Wiki:
In laparoscopic hysterectomy the uterus is minced up, or morcellated, into smaller pieces inside the woman’s belly cavity in order to extract from the abdomen. It can consist of a hollow cylinder that penetrates the abdominal wall, ending with sharp edges or cutting jaws, through which a grasper can be inserted to pull the mass into the cylinder to cut out an extractable piece
According to the WSJ, the FBI has spoken to three people with knowledge of the case – including a former pathologist who alerted J&J about potential problems with morcellators in 2006.
A doctor, who went public after her own cancer was worsened by Johnson and Johnson’s laparoscopic power morcellator in 2013. And a California woman, who has collected names of close to 400 patients and families of patients, who may have been harmed by the laparoscopic power morcellator.
The heads of Johnson & Johnson said they have not been contacted by the FBI as yet. Thus far, it has been confirmed that the death of Barbara Leary was caused by the Johnson and Johnson’s laparoscopic power morcellator.
