NEW YORK (AP) -- Smith & Nephew PLC said Friday that it is pulling from the market a metal liner used in hip replacements.
The London company said the device is the optional metal liner for its R3 Acetabular System hip devices. Smith & Nephew said it is "not satisfied with the clinical results" of the liner because some patients needed an additional surgery to have the liner removed. It described the move as a precaution and said patients who have not experienced problems don't need to have the liner removed.
Smith & Nephew said the liner was introduced in 2009 and about 7,700 have been implanted in patients. Most of them were used in stemmed total hip replacements. The company reported $4.27 billion in revenue in 2011, and it said less than 1 percent of that revenue came from procedures involving the recalled component.
Shares of Smith & Nephew lost $1.40, or 3 percent, to $45.26 in afternoon trading
