Mesh Recall
Earlier this month, a jury in Dallas, Tex. ordered Johnson & Johnson to pay $1.2 million in compensatory damages to a female patient who alleged defective design in a vaginal mesh implant created to treat incontinence.
Jurors determined that the design of the mesh sling implant was fundamentally flawed, resulting in pelvic pain when the device degraded inside the patient. The U.S. Food and Drug Administration has ordered several dozen vaginal implant manufacturers to study rates of organ damage and complications linked to implants.
Johnson & Johnson is currently facing more than 12,000 lawsuits against the company’s Ethicon division, alleging that transvaginal mesh inserts can damage female organs and cause painful intercourse.
In 2012, C.R. Bard served as a defendant in the first trial focusing on transvaginal mesh products and was ordered to pay $3.6 million in damages. Bard is currently facing thousands of additional transvaginal mesh lawsuits, with complaints ranging from mesh erosion to organ perforation.
In the United States, doctors inserted more than 70,000 mesh devices in 2010, using them to treat incontinence and to support pelvic muscles and internal organs due to pelvic organ prolapse. As of March 2014, more than 50,000 women have filed suit due to debilitating injuries, emotional trauma and financial losses tied to mesh products. Most complications arise from vaginal mesh erosion, in which the material extrudes into the surrounding tissue and muscle.
In 2008, the FDA issued a warning about the rate of complications with transvaginal mesh procedures and decided to review scientific data to gauge the procedure’s effectiveness. The FDA received nearly 4,000 complaints of injury, death or malfunction associated with transvaginal mesh surgeries performed between 2005 and 2010.
The FDA concluded that complications from gynecological mesh implants were not rare. The federal agency has stated that mesh procedures do not necessarily improve quality of life for patients over conventional surgeries and can expose them to greater risk.
Harris Lowry Manton can help if you suspect a transvaginal mesh device has caused damage to you or to a loved one. Our experienced attorneys can investigate medical devices on a case-by-case basis. Contact us today to discuss your legal options. All information is kept strictly confidential, and the consultation is free.
RELATED MEDIA:
http://www.businessweek.com/news/2014-04-04/j-and-j-must-pay-damages-in-mesh-incontinence-implant-verdict-loss
http://online.wsj.com/news/articles/SB10001424052702303546204579435162509926916
http://online.wsj.com/news/articles/SB10001424052702303506404577448422586204212
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