Alex Gorsky assumed the chief executive post of Johnson & Johnson in April 2012 and he faced numerous, tougher challenges at the helm in one of the world’s leading pharmaceutical giants, industry observers say. On top of the list was the issue about DePuy Orthopeadics’ ASR Hip System which was recalled in 2010 after it was reportedly haunted by allegations of defects. According to reports, there were about 93,000 hip devices gathered since the recall. At present, 8,000 recipients have filed lawsuits seeking compensatory damages. Opening arguments over these cases are to begin soon in the first DePuy state court trial in the United States.
Commendable and glamorous it may sound for Gorsky being promoted as chief executive of a multinational pharmaceutical and consumer packaged goods manufacturer company such as Johnson & Johnson. Yet behind the honor and accolade lay a bigger responsibility, especially on how to handle the crisis over DePuy, for which the company is expected to shell out over a billion dollars to compensate for the damages it had caused among its recipients, aside from the $800 million it had spent during the recall.
Gorsky, who started off as a pharmaceutical sales representative, now finds himself at the center of a notoriously grueling job that requires a great deal of stamina, charisma and a near devotion to making the sale, after he replaced William C. Weldom.
Also like Weldon, Gorsky is a Johnson & Johnson insider who served during one of the most tumultuous periods in the company’s history, when there were manufacturing lapses, government inquiries and recalls affecting its popular over-the-counter consumer products.
Gorsky served as head of the company’s medical device and diagnostics group at the same time that critical decisions were made about an artificial hip implant that has failed in thousands of patients, crippling some of them.
Their shared history has led some to speculate that not much will change when Mr. Gorsky took over.
It is not known what role, if any, Gorsky played in DePuy’s decision not to disclose the FDA. action. But at the start of his tenure, DePuy decided to phase out the implants marketed as the ASR and shut down a factory in England that made them. To know more related issues, check Hip Replacement Lawsuit Center at hipreplacementlawsuitcenter.com
The author is a professional medical researcher, covering news about hip replacement operations.
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