Senators Probe Medtronic, Inc., Johnson & Johnson, Others on High-profile Recalls

A bipartisan trio of Senators probes Medtronic, Johnson & Johnson and three other med-tech titans on recent high-profile recalls as the legislators push for heightened safety measures. Three U.S. senators are probing med-tech titans on recent high-profile recalls, including Medtronic's (NYSE:MDT) 2007 Sprint Fidelis recall and Johnson & Johnson's (NYSE:JNJ) more recent metal-on-metal hip implant woes. Sens. Chuck Grassley (R-Iowa), Herb Kohl (D-Wis.) and Richard Blumenthal (D-Conn.) sent investigative letters to 5 device makers, asking them about their post-market surveillance and recall management practices. The trio asked Medtronic to dish on its precedent-setting Fidelis recall, which was implicated in more than 100 deaths (Medtronic has said that only 13 fatalities had the leads as a "possible or likely contributing factor"). Fidelis was the company's top product at the time.